A gunman who killed at least 10 people in a shooting in a small town in Montenegro died of self-inflicted injuries after attempting suicide on Thursday, the country’s Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic said. Police identified the gunman as Aleksandar Martinovic, 45, who attempted suicide near his home in the city of Cetinje after being surrounded by police.
“When he saw that he was in a hopeless situation, he attempted suicide. He died not only on the spot, but on the way to the hospital,” Saranovic told RTCG, the state broadcaster of Montenegro.
Saranovic did not provide any details on the suicide attempt.
Martinovic was on the run after opening fire Wednesday afternoon at a restaurant in Cetinje, a small town 38 km (23.6 miles) west of the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, where he killed four people.
Police said the attacker then moved to three other locations, where at least six more people, including two children, were killed. Four other people suffered life-threatening injuries.
Police said Martinovic had a history of possessing illegal weapons.
Late Wednesday night, police director Lazar Sespanovic said it appeared the suspect had been drinking heavily before the shooting. Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said there was a dispute before the shooting.
Police said the shooting was not linked to organized crime.
Mass shootings are comparatively rare in Montenegro, where gun culture is deeply rooted. In 2022, 11 people, including two children and a gunman, were killed in a mass attack also in Cetinje.
Wednesday’s incident shocked the country of 605,000 people. Spajić described the violence as a “terrible tragedy” and declared three days of national mourning. President Jakov Milatovic said he was “horrified” by the attack.
Despite strict gun laws, the Western Balkans, made up of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, are awash with weapons. Most date back to the bloody wars of the 1990s, but some even date back to the First World War.
Spajic said officials would consider tightening the criteria for owning and carrying firearms, including the possibility of a complete ban on the weapons.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
