CETINIGE, Montenegro (AP) – Shock and dismay spread in Montenegro on Thursday after a gunman shot and killed 12 people, including two children, in a western town before killing himself.
At least four other people were injured in a shooting incident following a bar brawl in Cetinje on Wednesday, officials said. This was the second such incident in the town in the past three years.
The gunman, identified as 45-year-old Ako Martinovic, killed the bar owner, the bar owner's children and his own family, authorities said.
The attacker, who initially fled after the assault, was later found and surrounded by police. Interior Minister Danilo Saranović said he died after shooting himself in the head.
The residents of Cetinje were stunned and grief-stricken. “We are all in shock,” said Vanja Popovic, whose relatives were among the victims.
“How am I going to feel after this?” Popovich said. “No one expected it. You can't even ask anyone anything.”
Police had dispatched a special unit to the town, located about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Podgorica, to search for the suspect. Police swarmed the streets and all roads in and around the city were closed for several hours.
Saranović said the gunman died while being transported to a hospital in the capital, where he succumbed to “the seriousness of his injuries.”
Officials said the gunman had been at the bar all day with other patrons when the brawl broke out. He then returned home, took the weapon and opened fire around 5:30 p.m.
Prosecutor Andriana Nastic said Thursday that the attacker visited six locations during the shooting spree, including the last location where he shot himself.
Four men were killed at the bar, Nastic said. The gunman then moved to another location, where he killed four more people, and two children at a third location. He then killed two more people at two other locations and ultimately shot himself, Nastic said.
“Further investigation will reveal the exact circumstances of the incident,” she added.
The government declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday, and all planned New Year's celebrations were canceled across the country.
Prime Minister Milojko Spažić said the government could try to impose a total ban on weapons, saying: “Because after this we will have to ask ourselves who should be allowed to have guns in Montenegro.”
This small country on the Adriatic Sea, with a population of about 620,000, is known for its gun culture, and many people traditionally carry weapons.
In August 2022, an attacker killed 10 people, including two children, in Montenegro's historic capital Cetinje before being shot dead by a passerby.
Police said the suspect in Wednesday's shooting had a suspended sentence for assault in 2005 and was appealing a recent conviction for illegal possession of a weapon. Montenegrin media reported that he was known for his erratic and violent behavior.
“Instead of the joy of the holidays… we are gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives,” Montenegrin President Yakov Milatovic said in a post on X.
