A court in Serbia has handed down convictions to the parents of a teenage boy who carried out a tragic school shooting in central Belgrade last year. The incident, which took place at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school, resulted in the deaths of nine pupils and a school guard, with six others sustaining injuries.
The father, Vladimir Kecmanovic, was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison for grave acts against public safety and child neglect. The mother, Miljana Kecmanovic, received a three-year prison term for child neglect but was acquitted of illegal possession of weapons charges.
The shooter, identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, was 13 years old at the time of the crime and therefore not eligible for trial under Serbian law. His parents were held accountable for failing to secure the firearms that were used in the shooting.
The tragic event, which occurred on May 3, 2023, marked the first mass school shooting in Serbia, shocking the nation and prompting calls for stricter gun control measures.
Following the shooting, the parents' lawyer expressed intentions to appeal the verdicts, citing the immense public pressure surrounding the case. However, some families of the victims expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome, feeling that no one had been held directly responsible for the loss of innocent lives.
The shooter, who used his father's guns during the attack, calmly contacted the police after the incident and has since been held in a specialized institution. The trial proceedings, which included testimony from the teenage perpetrator, were closed to the public.
In addition to the parents, a shooting instructor who provided training to the boy was also convicted for false testimony and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
The school shooting was followed by another tragic incident the next day, where a 21-year-old individual carried out a mass killing in villages outside the capital, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries. The perpetrator in that case was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
These back-to-back tragedies have sparked public outrage and led to increased efforts to address illegal gun ownership in the country.
