ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — An armed assailant entered a senior care home in central Croatia on Monday and opened fire, killing five people and wounding several others, authorities and media reported.
Five people died instantly, while the others were still receiving medical treatment, Index news portal reported. The suspect fled the scene, but police quickly arrested him at a cafe near the facility in Daruvar town, the report said.
“I am shocked by the murders of five people at the Daruvar nursing home,” Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic wrote on social media platform X. “I send my condolences to the families of the victims and hope for a speedy recovery for those injured.”
Police said they received a report of a man with a firearm killing and wounding several people at a nursing home just after 10 a.m. on Monday. A statement from the local police station said the suspect was “under police surveillance.”
Local N1 television reported that the shooter was born in 1973, a veteran of the 1991-1995 Croatian war and a relative of a nursing home resident.
The attack has left the quiet town in shock and sadness.
Daruvar mayor Damir Runeniček told N1 that the murder had shocked everyone.
“It’s difficult to say what the cause or trigger was. That will become clear during the investigation,” Runeniczek said, adding that the tragedy happened in a private home that was home to around 20 people. He described the house as a nice home.
Daruvar is a spa town in the Slavonia region with a population of 8,500.
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said he was “shocked by this brutal and unprecedented crime.”
“This is a terrifying warning and a final call for all concerned to do more to prevent violence in society, including by imposing stricter controls on gun ownership,” he said.
Authorities are investigating the motive for the attack.
