Court reduces sentence for shooting incident at restaurant terrace in Lamminpää, Tampere

The Turku Court of Appeal has reduced the sentence related to a shooting incident that occurred at a restaurant terrace in Lamminpää, Tampere, on August 13, 2023. The altercation that sparked the shooting began among customers. Initially, the Pirkanmaa District Court sentenced Rainer Rikhard Osvald Lindeman to four years and nine months in prison for attempted manslaughter, aggravated assault, endangering safety, and firearms offenses. Lindeman appealed the manslaughter charge to the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal reclassified the charge, downgrading it to aggravated assault and shortening the prison term to two years and nine months. The court determined that Lindeman did not aim directly at his victim but fired toward the ground. The distance between Lindeman and the victim was only a few meters, suggesting that he could have hit the victim in the torso had he aimed to do so. The court concluded that there was no intent to kill.

The victim, who had also been convicted of making a threat, also appealed his case. The Court of Appeal dismissed the District Court’s ruling. Although the victim had brandished a pistol during the incident, the appellate court found no evidence that Lindeman noticed the weapon or feared for his safety. Consequently, the threat charge was also dismissed.

These rulings are not final and can be appealed to the Supreme Court.