Belgrade: A shooting in Cetinje, Montenegro, on Wednesday killed 12 people, including two children, with the perpetrator, Aco Martinovic, later dying by suicide.
The killings occurred at five separate locations, with the shooter taking his own life at a sixth, said Prosecutor Andrijana Nastic, on Thursday.
“We conducted on-site investigations at all six locations, collecting evidence to understand the circumstances of this tragic event.”
The killing spree began at a local restaurant, where four men were fatally shot. Four more victims were killed at a nearby site, followed by the murders of two children at a third location. The rampage continued with single fatalities at the fourth and fifth sites, and Martinovic ended the spree by attempting suicide at the sixth.
Minister of Interior Danilo Saranovic stated that Martinovic initially survived a self-inflicted gunshot wound but later died from his injuries while being transported to the Clinical Center of Montenegro.
The motive for the attack remains unclear, although police sources suggest that the shooter was reportedly a socially isolated individual, and police said that the victims included the shooter’s friends and close acquaintances.
In response to the tragedy, the Montenegrin government pledged immediate action. “This cannot be tolerated. From tomorrow, we will introduce urgent measures to prevent such heinous acts,” Saranovic said, Xinhua news agency reported.
Four additional individuals sustained injuries, three of whom remain in critical condition, said Health Minister Vojislav Simun, noting that medical teams worked through the night to treat the injured, with one patient undergoing late-night surgery.
“Psychological support will be provided to affected families and the broader community in the days ahead,” Simun added.
The mass shooting has left Cetinje and Montenegro at large in three days of mourning, marking one of the nation’s darkest moments in its recent history. Authorities continue to investigate, working to uncover the events leading up to the tragedy.
A similar tragic incident occurred in Cetinje in August 2022, when an armed assailant killed 10 people before being fatally shot by a local resident.
(IANS)
