Finnish police say mall shooter likely to have chosen mall victims deliberately

Finnish police: Shooter likely targeted victims

HELSINKI — Finnish police say the man who killed five people in a New Year’s Eve shooting rampage appears to have deliberately targeted his victims.

Finnish investigator Henrik Niklander said it was unlikely to be a coincidence that the three men and two women who were shot and killed Thursday in a mall in Espoo all worked at the same grocery store.

Police told reporters Friday that a preliminary probe revealed that 43-year-old Ibrahim Shkupolli’s method for slaying his victims also indicated deliberate planning.

Four of the victims were shot with an unlicensed handgun inside the mall. The fifth victim — Shkupolli’s Finnish ex-girlfriend — was found dead in a nearby apartment. The woman had taken out a restraining order against Shkupolli, who reportedly stalked her for years.