Letipea massacre

Letipea massacre
Memorial stone of Letipea massacre.
Location	Letipea, ESSR, Soviet Union
Coordinates	59°32′42″N 26°38′49″E / 59.54497°N 26.64703°E / 59.54497; 26.64703Coordinates: 59°32′42″N 26°38′49″E / 59.54497°N 26.64703°E / 59.54497; 26.64703
Date	8 August 1976 (1976-08-08) (UTC+2)
Attack type	Mass shooting, mass murder, murder–suicide
Deaths	11 (including the perpetrator)
Injured	13
Perpetrator	an unknown soldier

The Letipea massacre was a mass shooting that took place on 8 August 1976 in Letipea in the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, at the time a part of the USSR. It resulted from a conflict between gas company workers who were having a picnic there, and drunken Soviet border guards.

One of the border guards opened fire with an assault rifle, killing six people at the picnic and wounding 18. In addition, he shot at one of the border guards who had come to stop him, who later died in hospital. In the end, the shooter committed suicide by shooting himself in the face.^[1] The commander of the Border Guard, who took responsibility, also committed suicide.^[2]

Memorial[]

A memorial stone was erected for the victims of the massacre in 1991 and the names of those who died were added in 1996.^[3]

References[]