A gunman who killed at least 10 people, including two children, in a shooting rampage in a small town in Montenegro died from self-inflicted injuries on Thursday after attempting suicide, the country’s interior minister said.
Aleksandar Martinovic, 45, attempted suicide near his home in the town of Cetinje after being cornered by police.
"When he saw that he was in a hopeless situation, he attempted suicide," interior minister Danilo Saranovic told Montenegro’s state broadcaster RTCG. “He did not succumb to his injuries on the spot, but during the transport to hospital.”
Martinovic had been on the run since Wednesday afternoon when he opened fire at a restaurant in Cetinje, a small town 38km west of the capital Podgorica.
After killing four people at the restaurant, he went to three other locations and shot dead at least six more people, including two children, police said. Martinovic also put at least four people in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
“He tried to take the lives of four more people, then fled with the vehicle he was using which we have found,” police said.
Police subsequently dispatched special troops to search for him in Cetinje and blocked the roads in and out of the town.
Police described Martinovic as dangerous and urged people to stay indoors, adding that he had a history of illegal weapons possession.
Late on Wednesday, police director Lazar Scepanovic said the suspect was thought to have been drinking heavily before the shooting.
The shooter had been at the restaurant bar throughout the day when he got into a brawl, Mr Scepanovic said. He went home, brought back a weapon and opened fire at around 5.30pm local time.
Police said the shooting was not thought to be connected to organised crime.
Mass shootings are comparatively rare in Montenegro, which has a deeply rooted gun culture. In 2022, at least 11 people were killed in a mass attack, also in Cetinje.
The latest incident shocked the country of 605,000 people.
The prime minister called the rampage a "terrible tragedy" and declared three days of national mourning.
President Jakov Milatovic said he was "shocked and stunned" by the tragedy. Instead of holiday joy, he said, “we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives”.
In spite of strict gun laws, the Western Balkans nations of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia remain awash with weapons. Most are from the bloody wars in the 1990s, but some date back even to the First World War.
Authorities said they would consider tightening criteria for owning and carrying firearms, even the possibility of a total ban on weapons.
Additional reporting by agencies.
