Finnish police under investigation after shooting knife-wielding man in Jyväskylä supermarket

Finnish prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into a police officer’s use of a firearm after an incident in which an armed man was shot inside a supermarket in Jyväskylä, reports Yle, Finland’s national public broadcaster.

The Central Finland Prosecution Office confirmed that the case involves suspicion of criminal offences, including dereliction of official duty and aggravated assault, according to regional prosecutor Yrjö Pulkkinen, who leads the investigation.

The shooting took place in early March at a Sale supermarket in the Keltinmäki district of Jyväskylä. Police had responded to reports of a man armed with a knife chasing a woman near a private residence on Helokantie street. The woman fled into the supermarket, where staff directed her to a back room for safety.

The knife-wielding man then entered the store, brandished the weapon at a customer, and attempted to snatch headphones from another shopper. When police arrived, the suspect failed to comply with their orders, prompting officers to fire their weapon and deploy a taser. The man was later hospitalised and subsequently detained on 5 March.

He remains in custody on suspicion of robbery, violent resistance against an officer, and illegal threats. The prosecution’s review of the police use of force remains ongoing.