Montenegro shooting suspect dies after suicide attempt Via Reuters

PODGORICA, Montenegro (Reuters) – A gunman who killed at least 10 people in a riot in a small town in Montenegro died of self-inflicted injuries on Thursday after attempting to take his own life, the country’s interior minister, Danilo Saranovic, he said.

The gunman, identified by police as Aleksandar Martinovic, 45, tried to kill himself near his home in the town of Cetinje after being kidnapped by police.

“When he saw that he was in a hopeless situation, he tried to kill himself. He did not succumb to his injuries immediately, but during the transport to the hospital,” Saranovic told the national broadcaster of Montenegro , RTCG.

Saranovic did not provide details about the suicide attempt.

Martinovic was on the run after opening fire on Wednesday afternoon at a restaurant in Cetinje, a small town 38 kilometers (23.6 miles) west of Podgorica, the Montenegrin capital, where he killed people. four.

The shooter then moved on to three other locations, killing at least six more people, including two children, police said. Four other people suffered life-threatening injuries.

Police say Martinovic has a history of possessing illegal weapons.

Late Wednesday, police chief Lazar Scepanovic said the suspect was believed to have been drinking heavily before the shooting. Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said there was chaos before the shooting.

Police said the shooting was not believed to be related to organized crime.

Mass shootings are relatively rare in Montenegro, which has a deep-rooted shooting tradition. In 2022, in Cetinje, 11 people, including two children and a gunman, were killed in a major attack.

Wednesday’s event shocked the country of 605,000 people. Spajic called the chaos “a terrible tragedy” and declared three days of national mourning. President Jakov Milatovic said he was “horrified” by the attack.

Despite strict gun laws, the Western Balkans, made up of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, are still heavily armed. Most of them are from the bloody wars of the 1990s, but some date back to the First World War.

Spajic said officials will consider tightening the rules on gun ownership and possession, including the possibility of a total weapons ban.