Motorist killed after shooting at police in Tampere

A motorist was killed in an exchange of fire with the police on a motorway at Lempäälä area in southern Finland on Saturday, the police said.

The shooting was preceded by a high speed chase after an initial stopping of the car. The car was finally encircled on a ramp and the driver opened fire when two police officers stepped out of their vehicle.

The police said in a press release that the killed motorist, born in 1992, was a "Finnish English" and had lived in Finland for several years.

The incident took place south of Tampere. There had been two other men in the car, but they had exited when the police first stopped the driver before the chase. The motive of the driver was not immediately known. The use of a fire arm by the driver had come as a surprise to the police.

Fatalities resulting from police gunfire are rare in Finland. The previous case was in 2015. Since 2000 eight people in Finland have been killed in police fire, national broadcaster Yle reported.