The diligent student with a dark troubled soul

Photo: Facebook

While people close to Vahur (15) who shot his teacher say he was a good student and ready to relate, in social media the lad left an impression rather different and dark.

A pupil at 9^th A grade, Vahur comes from a family with four children living in the countryside near Viljandi. According to people knowing the boy and the family, it’s a good home and the kids have always done well at school. Some have rather excelled, attending academic competitions.

Those who know them say parents have always considered it important that the kids be a success. Perhaps for that reason, they didn’t attend the small country school near home but took a bus daily to Viljandi, to a schoolhouse a dozen kilometres off.

That Vahur was close with his father is obvious from the fact that the week-end before they both were at the local theatre club, together, preparing for the next play. As shown in Vahur’s own photographs, he was in medieval martial arts in spare time.

Several teachers at Paalalinna School say it’s hard for them to imagine the young mad and his German teacher – who was far from the strictest at the school – might have reasons to have a conflict. Not at least when it came to the studies.

Still, Vahur was note totally cloudless at school. For instance, this year on April 16^th, he got caught with a knife in school bag during a police drug raid. The parents were notified and it was up for discussions just some ten days ago at school.

No doubt, the encounter with police showed in the school shooter’s private life. When friends at web environment Ask.fm asked him eight years ago about problems with police, Vahur answered there were none. Three months later, the answer was yes.

On Facebook as Zuul, Vahur’s account leaves no doubt he was interested in weapons and war, looking up to veterans. On his Facebook wall, by now emptied of messages, there were lots of pictures of various military insignia and soldiers taking an aim with rifles. Asked over the Internet about his idol, he answered by posting a photo of an US soldier posing with M16 automatic rifle.

Through the years, Vahur’s Facebook account cast rather little verbal light on what he was thinking of this world. The more tell-tale the pictures. This April 1^st, for instance, a picture appeared with an ominous message «Don’t judge me cause I’m quiet. No one plans a murder out loud.»

A couple of months before that, the school shooter posted a picture-message «You inspire my inner serial killer». About a year ago, a keen eye might have detected a cry for help, with a hanged figure posted with «Nobody cares».

In the questions-environment Ask.fm, Vahur admits to those who take an interest that when becoming a millionaire, the first thing he would buy is an army.

With friends, things didn’t look good – as betrayed by the following posted at Ask.fm this January, an interview with somebody anonymous (spelling unaltered):

«who is your favourite friend in your class?»

«none»