The Pärnu County Court in May of last year sentenced Mikk Tarraste (33) to prison for 20 years, which the circuit court changed to a life sentence in January of 2022.

The circuit court found the original punishment did not correspond to the severity of the crime or the offender's character.

According to the charges, Tarraste killed two people, injured five and placed at risk an indeterminate number of others in addition to causing material damage through his actions. He endangered the lives and health of at least 17 persons four of whom were children between the ages of 3 and 9. Tarraste knew none of the victims.

Mikk Tarraste on June 6, 2020 opened fire on a motorcyclist and two passenger vehicles carrying a total of nine people. The motorcyclist was killed, while the occupants of the two cars were unscathed.

When attempting to return to his property, he then opened fire on a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction on the Tuudi-Raudtee tee, killing one in the vehicle, a woman, and injuring three others, including two children.

The accused then remained at the scene when paramedics, police officers and others arrived, opening fire again, before continuing on foot towards his home.

These circumstances make Tarraste's crime one of the most serious and exceptional cases in Estonian court practice.

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