At least 10 people killed in mass shooting in Montenegro and suspect commits suicide | Gun Violence News

A gunman suspected of a random shooting in the town of Cetinje shoots himself in the head after being surrounded by police.

Two children were among at least 10 people killed in a mass shooting that began at a restaurant in the small Montenegrin town of Cetinje and continued at three different locations, authorities said.

A local man suspected of being the shooter, identified by police as 45-year-old Alexander Martinovich, was confirmed dead early Thursday morning after he shot himself and died from his wounds while being taken to hospital.

Police surrounded the suspect near his home in Cetinje. The country’s police chief, Lazar Šepanovic, told reporters that when police ordered him to “drop his weapon, he shot himself in the head.”

He added: “An attempt was made to transfer him to a medical center, but he died of his wounds in the meantime.”

In a social media post confirming the suspected gunman’s death, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said the mass killing had “covered our country in black.”

“This senseless act has caused immeasurable grief and bitterness in each and every one of us. There are no words of comfort,” Spaich said.

The Prime Minister said Montenegro’s National Security Council would now consider “all options” in the wake of the attack, including imposing a complete ban on the possession of weapons, adding that the country would observe three days of national mourning.

Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic told reporters that the two minors killed in the attacks that began on Wednesday evening were the sons of the owner of the restaurant where the shooting began. He added that the owner of the house was also killed.

The minister said that the shooter “killed members of his family,” adding that he believed the suspect had been drinking heavily before the attack.

Four people seriously injured in the attack were reported to be fighting for their lives in a hospital in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.

The suspect, who media reports said had a history of possessing illegal weapons and was given a suspended prison sentence in 2005 for violent behaviour, fled after the shooting and was at large in Cetinje, a small town in the valley surrounded by rugged hills about 38 km away. kilometers (23.6 miles). ) West Podgorica.

All roads leading into and out of the town were closed, while police deployed in the streets before surrounding the suspect near his home.

The mass shooting incident is the second shooting incident in the past three years in Cetinje, the historic capital of Montenegro. An attacker also killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022, before a bystander shot and killed him, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Montenegro, with a population of just over 620,000 people, is famous for its gun culture, and many people traditionally own weapons.

Organized crime and corruption are also major issues plaguing Montenegro, and authorities have pledged to tackle them under pressure from the European Union, which the small country aspires to join.