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A gunman who killed at least 10 people, including two children, in a shooting spree in a small town in the Montenegro died of self-inflicted wounds on Thursday after attempting suicide, the country’s interior minister said.
Aleksandar Martinović (45) attempted suicide near his house in Cetinje after the police cornered him.
“When he saw that he was in a hopeless situation, he tried to commit suicide,” Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović told the Montenegrin RTCG state workshop. “He did not succumb to his injuries on the spot, but during transport to the hospital.”
Martinovic had been on the run since Wednesday afternoon when he opened fire on a restaurant in Cetinje, a small town 38 km west of the capital Podgorica.
After killing four people at the restaurant, he went to three other locations and killed at least six more people, including two children, police said. Martinović hospitalized at least four people with life-threatening injuries.
“He tried to take the lives of four more people and then fled in the vehicle he was using which we found,” the police said.
The police then sent special forces to look for him in Cetinje and blocked the roads in and out of the city.
Police described Martinovic as dangerous and urged people to stay indoors, adding that he had a history of illegally possessing weapons.
Late Wednesday, police director Lazar Šćepanović said it was assumed the suspect had been drinking before the shooting.
The killer was in the restaurant during the day when he got into a fight, Šćepanović said. He went home, returned the weapon and opened fire around 5:30 p.m. local time.
Police said the shooting is not believed to be related to organized crime.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Montenegro, which has a deeply rooted gun culture. In a mass attack, also in Cetinje, in 2022, at least 11 people were killed.
The latest incident shocked the country of 605,000 people.
The prime minister called the rampage a “terrible tragedy” and declared three days of national mourning.
President Jakov Milatović said he was “shocked and appalled” by the tragedy. Instead of festive joy, he said, “we were gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives.”
Despite strict gun laws, the Western Balkan countries of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia are still awash in weapons. Most are from the bloody wars of the 1990s, but some even date back to the First World War.
Authorities have said they will consider tightening the criteria for owning and carrying firearms, even the possibility of banning them altogether.
Additional agency reporting.