12 are killed by a gunman in a small-town massacre in Montenegro

One of Montenegro’s worst mass murders occurred early Thursday when a man went on a spree in a small hamlet and shot 12 people before killing himself, according to investigators.

Four people were initially murdered when the assailant, identified by police as 45-year-old Aleksandar Aco Martinovic, opened fire following a fight at a restaurant in Cetinje on Wednesday afternoon.

He then killed eight individuals at three additional sites, including two children, according to prosecutor Andrijana Nastic.

According to investigators, the victims had strong ties to the shooter. “The motive is still unknown,” stated Lazar Scepanovic, director of national police. “All the victims were his godfathers, friends.”

The hamlet, which is 38 kilometers (24 miles) west of the capital Podgorica, has seen two shootings in less than three years. Before being shot dead, a shooter in August 2022 killed ten people, including two children.

According to Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic, Martinovic attempted suicide after being cornered by police close to his town home and passed away from his injuries while being transported to a hospital early on Thursday morning.

“He made an attempt at suicide after realizing that his circumstances were bleak. Saranovic told Montenegro’s public television, RTCG, “He did not pass away from his wounds immediately, but rather while being transported to the hospital.”

“The Second Tragic Event”

All public places were closed on Thursday, and there weren’t many people on the streets of Cetinje.

“It was terrible. All of the families in Cetinje are so afraid and apprehensive. Slavica Vusurovic, 43, told Reuters, “One did not dare to look through the window.”

“I started crying when I… watched it on TV. According to 64-year-old Slobo Matic, this is Cetinje’s second such catastrophe.

According to the police, Martinovic had a history of illegally possessing weapons and had been drinking excessively. According to the authorities, he went home after a fight with customers at the restaurant, grabbed a gun, came back, and began firing.

During Wednesday’s rampage, four additional individuals sustained potentially fatal injuries, and one is still in critical condition, according to Aleksandar Radovic, director of the Clinical Centre in Podgorica.

The rampage was described as a “terrible tragedy” by Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, who also announced three days of national mourning. According to President Jakov Milatovic, the attack “horrified” him.

According to a government statement, Spajic called a meeting of the nation’s National Security Council on Friday to talk about the shooting’s aftermath and steps to find and seize illicit firearms.

It further stated that the suggested actions would include hiring more police officers and enacting a new weapons law with stricter requirements for gun ownership and possession.

Given Montenegro’s strong gun culture, stricter gun laws would probably encounter resistance.

The Western Balkans, which include Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, are nevertheless rife with firearms despite their stringent gun control legislation. Some of them go all the way back to World War One, but the majority are from the 1990s conflicts.