At least ten dead, including two children, in shooting in Montenegro

Prime Minister Milojko Spajic announces three days of mourning

Jan. 2 () –

At least ten people, including two children, have died and four more have been injured in a shooting that took place this Wednesday in a bar located in Bajice, a small town in Cetinje, southern Montenegro, according to authorities.

The Minister of the Interior, Danilo Saranovic, has reported the preliminary balance of victims, found in four different locations, and has announced the identity of the suspect, Aco Martinovic, although the Prime Minister, Milojko Spajic, has subsequently confirmed his death.

The Montenegrin Police have explained that the man argued verbally with several of those present in the bar and used a firearm, killing at least four people, including several members of his family. He then left the scene and fled, prompting authorities to warn him that he was armed and “dangerous.”

The acting director of the Police, Lazar Scepanovic, reported in a press conference reported by the public television channel RTCG that the attacker was sentenced in 2022 to three months in prison in the first instance for possession of weapons (an air rifle , defective weapons and explosives).

However, he appealed and the verdict had not been confirmed. In addition, he received a suspended sentence in 2005 for a crime of violent behavior.

THREE DAYS OF MOURNING

The Government, after an extraordinary telephone session, has announced three days of mourning (from Thursday to Saturday) “due to the traffic event that occurred” and has asked the municipalities to cancel the performances and concerts scheduled for tonight. Thus, he recalled the obligation to display flags at half-mast in all government buildings.

Spajic has indicated that he will also hold a session of the National Security Council in which they will consider “numerous options, including a complete ban on the possession of weapons.” “Then we will have to ask ourselves who can be allowed to own weapons in Montenegro,” he questioned.

“Instead of festive joy, sadness over the loss of innocent lives hangs over our capital and all of Montenegro. I am stunned and moved by this tragedy that has enveloped our Cetinje, the families and friends of the victims in black, to whom I express my deepest condolences,” said the country’s president, Jakov Milatovic.