Gunman kills a local politician and two reporters in Finland

 A gunman killed a local town councilor and two journalists in an apparent random shooting in a nightlife district in a small town in southeastern Finland, police said Sunday. A man has been detained on suspicion of murder.

The chairwoman of Imatra Town Council and two female reporters were gunned down in a pedestrian area outside a restaurant in the town just before a police patrol car arrived to the scene around midnight Saturday, police spokeswoman Heli Jamsen-Turkki said. Police said two of the victims were in their early 50s and one was in her mid-30s.

Police detained a 23-year-old local man who didn’t resist arrest. He fired four or five shots, hitting his victims in the head and torso with a hunting rifle, authorities said.

Saku Tielinen, who is leading the investigation, said the suspect had a criminal record, including for violent incidents and theft but declined to identify him or give more details.

“There is no indication of a political motive. It seems the gunman and victims didn’t know each other,” Tielinen said. “All indications are that he chose his victims randomly.”

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Image courtesy of AP