Man shot on Lahti street – perpetrator sentenced to nearly six years imprisonment
Päijät-Häme District Court sentenced Jermu Ahava to five years and ten months in prison for attempted manslaughter. The shooting occurred in Lahti in March 2026.
Lahti street shooting results in nearly six-year sentence
Päijät-Häme District Court has sentenced Jermu Juuso Petteri Ahava, born in 2005, to five years and ten months imprisonment for attempted manslaughter and aggravated firearms offence. Yle Uutiset reported on the sentence, which the district court handed down on 29 June.
The shooting took place in central Lahti on Aleksanterinkatu in March 2026 on a weekend night, when there were also other passers-by present.
The case originated from a verbal dispute that escalated into physical violence. According to security camera recordings examined by the district court, a man born in 2003 had first shoved Ahava and struck him with his fist. Ahava then drew a weapon and shot the man at close range. One shot struck the chest and another hit the outer side of the thigh.
According to a medical report, the gunshot wounds were not life-threatening, but in the worst case they could have led to the victim's death. The district court stated that the victim's survival was pure luck.
The court found that the use of the firearm was not justified as a means of self-defence, despite the fact that Ahava had been attacked. The district court emphasised that a firearm is inherently lethal, and Ahava should have understood that the shots would likely lead to the victim's death.
Ahava also had no right to possess the weapon, and he had been carrying it with him in a bar – this resulted in a conviction for aggravated firearms offence.
The victim, born in 2003, was convicted of assault and sentenced to 50 day fines totalling €2,250. Both parties were additionally ordered to pay €120 to the state as crime victim compensation.
The sentence is not yet final. Ahava has indicated his dissatisfaction with the entire sentence.
Source: Yle Uutiset