Helsinki police shot and killed a knife-wielding man in the Alppiharju district after an extended confrontation that left a police dog seriously injured. The incident occurred on July 12 when officers responded to a disturbance call at Kinaporinkatu around 9:43 AM.
Multiple police units arrived at the scene after a resident reported a man making noise in the stairwell and banging on their door. The caller felt too frightened to investigate the situation personally. When police attempted to approach the individual in the stairwell, they discovered he was armed with a knife.
The man ignored police commands to drop the weapon and began throwing objects at officers, including a flowerpot, bicycle, and chair. He then moved to a balcony and quickly accessed the building's roof. Police monitored his movements using a drone for approximately 15 minutes before he retreated to a cramped attic space.
Inside the attic, heavily equipped police officers repeatedly ordered the man to surrender his knife. Despite these commands, he advanced toward officers while still armed. Police first deployed a taser, but the man only flinched and continued approaching. The distance between them was just a few meters.
Officers then called in a police dog, which bit the man's hand. According to the investigation report, this had no effect on the individual, who proceeded to stab the dog between the eyes. The police dog handler noted the man appeared to feel no pain from the attack.
When all other methods failed, officers fired three shots from a projectile launcher into the man's torso. Even after being shot, he continued moving toward police before finally collapsing on the stairs. Despite emergency medical attention, the man died from his gunshot wounds.
The Regional Prosecutor's Office reviewed the case and decided not to press charges against the involved officers. Prosecutor Mari Eerola stated the police acted appropriately given the immediate and serious threat to life and safety. The investigation found no evidence that officers violated procedural regulations or their official duties in ways that would constitute criminal behavior.
This incident highlights the challenging situations Finnish police sometimes face when dealing with individuals who show extraordinary resistance to standard de-escalation techniques. The case also raises questions about how law enforcement manages confrontations with people who demonstrate unusually high pain tolerance or altered mental states.
Finnish police procedures emphasize de-escalation and minimal force, but this case demonstrates the complex reality officers encounter when non-lethal methods prove ineffective against determined, armed individuals. The Helsinki Police Department has faced similar difficult situations in recent years, though fatalities remain relatively rare in Finnish law enforcement operations.
The outcome underscores the balance police must strike between public safety and the preservation of life, even when confronting violent individuals. The prosecutor's decision not to charge the officers suggests the response fell within established protocols for dealing with immediate lethal threats.