PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A gunman who shot at least 12 people, including two children, in Montenegro killed himself while surrounded by police, officials said Thursday.
At least four others were injured in random shooting in the western town of Cetinje on Wednesday after a bar fight, officials said.
Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic said the shooter, identified as 45-year-old Ako Martinovic, killed the bar owner, his children and family members.
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The attacker, who fled after the rampage, was later identified and was surrounded by police. Saranovic said he died after being shot in the head.
The police sent a special unit to search for the attacker in the town, which is located about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital, Podgorica. All roads inside and outside the city were closed, while police forces were deployed in the streets.
Saranovic said that Martinovic died while being transported to a hospital in the capital and died of the “severity of his injuries.”
The government declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday, and Prime Minister Milojko Spaić called the shooting a “terrible tragedy.”
“The level of anger and brutality shows that sometimes these people…are more dangerous than members of organized criminal gangs,” Saranovic said.
Police Commissioner Lazar Šepanović said Martinović had been at the bar all day with other guests when the fight broke out. He said Martinovich then returned to his home, got a gun and opened fire at about 5:30 p.m
“He killed four people” at the bar before leaving, then continued shooting at three other locations, Šepanovich said.
He said the suspect received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent conduct and had appealed his latest sentence for illegal possession of weapons. Montenegrin media reported that he was known for his erratic and violent behaviour.
The small nation of Montenegro, with a population of about 620,000, is known for its gun culture, and many people own traditional weapons.
Wednesday’s shooting was Second shooting rampage For the past three years in Cetinje, the historical capital of Montenegro. An attacker killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022, before a bystander shot and killed him in Cetinje.
President Jakov Milatović said he was “shocked and appalled” by the tragedy.
“Instead of holiday joy…we were overwhelmed by sadness for the loss of innocent lives,” Milatovic said in a post on the X website.
