A gunman who fatally shot at least 12 people, including two children, in Montenegro has killed himself while surrounded by police, officials said Thursday.
At least four others were wounded in the shooting rampage in the western town of Cetinje on Wednesday that followed a bar brawl, officials said.
The shooter, identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinović, killed the owner of the bar, the bar owner’s children and his own family members, Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović said.
The attacker, who was fled after the rampage, was later located and surrounded by police. He died after shooting himself in the head, Šaranović said.
Police said Martinović had a history of illegal weapons possession.
Late on Wednesday, police director Lazar Scepanovic said the suspect was thought to have been drinking heavily before the shooting.
Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said there had been a brawl before shots were fired.
Police said the shooting was not thought to be connected to organized crime.
Region awash with firearms
Mass shootings are comparatively rare in Montenegro, which has a deeply rooted gun culture. In 2022, also in Cetinje, 11 people, including two children and a gunman, were killed in a mass attack.
Wednesday’s incident shocked the country of 605,000 people. Spajic called the shootings 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 composed of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, remain awash with weapons. Most are from the bloody wars in the 1990s, but some date back even to World War I.
Spajic said authorities would consider tightening criteria for owning and carrying firearms, including the possibility of a complete ban on weapons.
