Prosecution clears police officers in Pirkanmaa shooting, citing necessary defense against armed suspect

The prosecution has cleared four police officers involved in a shooting incident in Pirkanmaa last spring, stating that they acted in a state of necessary defense. The officers fired at Henri Pekka Juhani Åman, who had a violent criminal history and had previously shot a woman in Juupajoki, who later succumbed to her injuries. The police are investigating this shooting as murder.

Åman was known to be a feared criminal in the area and was free while awaiting sentencing. The standoff in April marked the third such incident he had caused, prompting major media coverage, including the release of his name.

Details from the prosecution’s documentation reveal that spikes were placed on the main road 66 on the day of the incident, but Åman managed to evade them and continued driving at high speed until he hit another spike strip on the Ruovesi side. Eyewitnesses noted that a bus was also involved when he fled the scene.

When Åman approached a stopped bus armed, the driver cleverly reversed to escape. Åman then returned to his vehicle, heading towards oncoming traffic and ultimately was forced off the road by a police armored vehicle.

After exiting his car, Åman pointed a gun at the responding officers, who were instructed to apprehend him via verbal commands and a police dog; however, time constraints made this unfeasible. In response to the immediate threat to their lives, the four officers discharged their weapons, resulting in Åman sustaining three gunshot wounds to his upper body, leading to his death.

It remains unclear whether Åman fired upon the police during the encounter, as technical investigations showed that one of his guns was jammed, while the other had an unfired cartridge. However, prosecutors indicated that his previous actions moments before supported the necessity of the police’s response.