10 Killed In Mass Shooting At Montenegro, Suspect Kills Himself (X image @serbnews)
Cetinje, Montenegro: At least ten people were killed in a mass shooting that started at a restaurant in the small town of Cetinje in Montenegro and continued at three different locations, said the authorities. Police identified 45-year-old Aleksandar Martinovic as the suspect. He was confirmed to have died early on Thursday morning after shooting himself and dying from his injuries while being transported to hospital.
Police had surrounded the suspect near his home in Cetinje. When police commanded him “to lay down his weapon, he shot himself in the head”, the country’s police chief, Lazar Scepanovic, told reporters. “An attempt was made to transport him to a clinical centre, but he succumbed to his injuries in the meantime,” he said.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said the mass killing had “shrouded our country in black”. Taking to his social media account, he said, “This senseless act has caused immeasurable sadness and bitterness in each of us. There are no words of comfort”. He also said that the country will observe three days of national mourning.
Also Read: US: Nikolas Cruz, The Mass Shooter Agrees To Donate Brain To Science In A Unique Settlement
Montenegro’s national security council will now consider “all options” in the aftermath of the attack, including a complete ban on the possession of weapons, the prime minister added.
Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic told journalists that the two minors killed in the attacks, which started on Wednesday night, were children of the owner of the restaurant where the shooting spree began. The owner was also killed, he said. The children were aged 10 and 13, according to police. The shooter had “killed members of his own family”, the minister said, adding that the suspect was thought to have been drinking heavily before the rampage.
Four people seriously wounded in the attack were reported to be in critical condition in a hospital in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica.
The suspect had a history of illegal weapons possession and received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behaviour, had fled after the shootings and was at large in Cetinje, a small valley town surrounded by rugged hills some 38km (23.6 miles) west of Podgorica, as per media report.
Also Read: Prague University Attack: Gunman Kills At least 14 People
The mass shooting was the second gun rampage over the past three years in Cetinje, Montenegro’s historic capital. An attacker also killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before he was shot and killed by a passerby, reported AP.
