Letipea massacre
| Letipea massacre | |
|---|---|
 Memorial stone of Letipea massacre. | |
| Location | Letipea, Estonia, (then Soviet Union) |
| Coordinates | 59°32′42″N 26°38′49″E / 59.54497°N 26.64703°E
 |
| Date | 8 August 1976 (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 of civilians by the Soviet armed forces that took place on 8 August 1976 in Letipea, Estonia, at the time 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 nine people at the picnic and wounding 13. 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 unit, who took responsibility, reportedly also committed suicide.[2]
Memorial
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ Helmut Elstrok "Veretöö gaasitöötajate päeval 1976. aastal" Virumaa Teataja. 08.08.2006
- ^ "Eesti monumentide e-kataloog - Letipea hukkunud gaasitöötajad" [Gas workers who died at the counter]. Monument.ee. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- ^ Virumaa Teataja "Letipeal mälestatakse veresauna ohvreid" 04.08.2006
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