Several dead in a shooting in Montenegro, according to the police and local Reuters media
Stevo Vasiljević
CETINJE, Montenegro (Reuters) – A gunman in Montenegro killed at least four people, including two children, after he opened fire in a restaurant in the historic capital of Cetinje on Wednesday, then went outside and continued shooting, according to police and local media. reports.
Crnogorska TV Vijesti announced that the shooting was preceded by a fight in the restaurant, during which several people were killed on the premises. The attacker, who remained on the run, then left the restaurant, shooting and killing two children on the street, the CDM portal reported.
A police spokesman said at least four people were killed.
In a live TV broadcast in front of the medical center, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajić called the incident a “terrible tragedy” and declared three days of national mourning.
He did not mention the number of victims, but said that four people were taken to a hospital in Podgorica, the capital, for surgery.
“It seems that according to the first information… the perpetrator did not have the background of someone who is a member of organized criminal groups. There was a fight in which pistols were used,” Spajić said.
The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, also reacted to the attack. “I am stunned and horrified by the tragedy in Cetinje… We pray and hope for the recovery of the wounded,” Milatović said in a statement.
Cetinje was eerily quiet, and the snow-covered streets were literally empty, except for Wednesday’s law enforcement. Special police and anti-terrorist units searching for the suspect have spread to the hills. Cetinje is located in a shallow valley surrounded by rugged mountains.
Montenegrin police sent special units to the area and urged people to stay in their homes. The video shows the police cordoning off the neighborhood with poles flashing holiday lights.
All available police units are on the ground and are undertaking activities within their jurisdiction to detain the suspect, the Police Administration of Montenegro announced.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Montenegro, which has a deeply rooted gun culture.
In a mass shooting in Montenegro in 2022, 11 people were killed, including two children and the attacker, in which six others were injured.
Despite strict gun laws, the Western Balkans, made up of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, remains awash with weapons. Most of them are from the bloody wars of the 1990s, but some even date back to the First World War.
Spajić said that the authorities will tighten the criteria for carrying firearms, including the possibility of a complete ban on weapons.
