At least 10 people, including two children, were killed and four were seriously wounded Wednesday in a shooting that followed a brawl at a Western bar Montenegrin of the city, officials said. The shooter was on the run.
The police identified the attacker as 45-year-old Aca Martinović. He killed the owner of a bar in the city Cetinjethe children of the owners of the bar and members of their own family, said Minister of the Interior Danilo Šaranović at a press conference.
“At the moment, we are focused on his arrest,” Šaranović told reporters.
Police sent special forces to search for the attacker in Cetinje, located some 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of the capital Podgorica. All roads in and out of the city are blocked as police flood the streets.
Get the latest national news
For news that affects Canada and the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.
Šaranović described the suspect as dangerous and called on citizens to stay indoors.
“The level of anger and brutality shows that sometimes such people… are more dangerous even than members of organized criminal groups,” Šaranović said.
Martinović was in the bar all day with other guests when a fight broke out, said Police Commissioner Lazar Šćepanović. He said that Martinović then went home, took a weapon and opened fire around 5:30 p.m.
“He killed four people” in the bar, before leaving, and then continued shooting at three more places, Šćepanović said. “He tried to take the lives of four more people and then fled in the vehicle he was using, which we found.”
He said that the suspect was given a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behavior, and he also appealed his last sentence for illegal possession of weapons. Montenegrin media reported that he was known for his erratic and violent behavior.
Little Montenegro, which has about 620,000 people, is known for its gun culture and many people traditionally have guns.
Wednesday’s shooting was the second shooting in the past three years in Cetinje, the historic capital of Montenegro. The attacker also killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before being shot dead by a passerby in Cetinje.
President Jakov Milatović said he was “shocked and stunned” by the tragedy. “Instead of holiday joy… we were gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives,” said Milatović on the X social platform.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić went to the hospital where the wounded are being treated and declared three days of mourning. He said “all police teams” are searching for the suspect.
“This is a terrible tragedy that has affected us all,” Spajić said.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
