Montenegro Shooting: 12 Dead, Including Children, After Bar Brawl
Montenegro Reels After Deadly Shooting spree Leaves 12 Dead, Including Children
CETINJE, Montenegro – A horrific shooting rampage in the historic Montenegrin city of Cetinje has left at least 12 people dead, including two children, and four others critically injured. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinovic, took his own life after the attack, according to authorities.
The violence erupted Wednesday afternoon following a brawl at a bar in Cetinje, located about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital, Podgorica.
“The level of rage and brutality shows that sometimes such people … are even more perilous than members of organized criminal gangs,” saeid Montenegro’s Interior Minister danilo Saranovic.
Martinovic allegedly shot and killed the bar owner and his children before continuing his rampage, targeting three more locations and attempting to take the lives of four more people. He fled the scene in a vehicle, which police later recovered.
A History of Violence
Martinovic had a history of violent behaviour. In 2005, he received a suspended sentence for violent conduct and was appealing a recent conviction for illegal firearm possession. Montenegrin media reports paint a picture of a man known for his erratic and violent tendencies.
National Mourning Declared
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through Montenegro, a small nation of approximately 620,000 people known for its gun culture.President Jakov Milatovic expressed his grief on social media, stating, “Rather of holiday joy, we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives.”
Prime Minister Milojko Spajic visited the hospital were the four wounded individuals are receiving treatment and announced three days of national mourning.
Echoes of Past Tragedy
this latest shooting spree is a chilling reminder of a similar tragedy that struck Cetinje in mid-2022,when an attacker killed 10 people,including two children,before being neutralized by a passerby.
the nation now grapples with the aftermath of this senseless violence, searching for answers and seeking solace in the face of unimaginable loss.