At least five dead in shooting at nursing home in Croatia

Croatian President calls for “stricter control” of gun ownership

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At least five people were killed and four others injured on Monday after a retired member of the Military Police in his 50s burst into a nursing home in the town of Daruvar, central Croatia.

The dead are believed to include the attacker’s mother, as well as other elderly people and employees of the nursing home. One of the injured is in serious condition, while the rest are out of danger, according to reports collected by the local press.

After the attack, employees of the residence went to a nearby shop to call the police, who quickly arrived at the scene. The security forces managed to arrest the alleged perpetrator, who had fled to a nearby café.

The police in Bjelovar-Bilogora County said in a statement that the suspect is in custody and that the regional prosecutor’s office has already started an investigation into the incident.

Some government ministers have headed to Daruvar, located about 100 kilometres from the capital, Zagreb. Prime Minister Andrej Plekovic is scheduled to appear before the media in the coming hours, although he has already expressed his condolences on social media.

“We are shocked by the murder of five people at the Daruvar Nursing Home. We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and hope for the recovery of the injured. I hope that the relevant authorities will establish all the circumstances of the terrible crime,” he said.

For his part, the President of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, has gone a step further and, in addition to expressing his condolences to the families of the victims, has interpreted what happened as “a terrifying warning” of the rise of violence in society, advocating in this regard for “more rigorous control” of the possession of weapons.

The mayor of Daruvar, Damir Lnenicek, has acknowledged that it is “hard to say what the cause is” for the moment, and has expressed his full confidence in the investigation launched by the authorities. He also stressed that the nursing home provided care for around 20 people.