Montenegro shooting: Two children among 12 killed in Cetinje after bar fight

Two children are among 12 people killed after a gunman opened fire in western Montenegro following a bar brawl, officials have said.

Montenegro’s interior minister Danilo Saranovic said at least four people were wounded in the attack in the town of Cetinje.

The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Aleksandar Martinovic.

Mr Saranovic said Martinovic killed the owner of the bar, the bar owner’s children and his own family members, before going on the run.

Police dispatched a special unit to search for the attacker in the town. All the roads in and out of the city were blocked as officers swarmed the streets.

The interior minister later said that the gunman had died after taking his own life near his home in Cetinje, which is about 18 miles northwest of the capital Podgorica.

Mr Saranovic told state broadcaster RTCG that Martinovic died while he was being transported to hospital.

Police told the broadcaster that he had suffered a head wound.

Vanja Popovic, the cousin of one of those who died and of another injured person, said: “[The] son of my aunt is among the dead… we are all shocked.”

‘Gripped by sadness’

President Jakov Milatovic said in a post on X that he was “shocked and stunned” by the mass shooting.

He wrote: “Instead of holiday joy… we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Milojko Spajic went to the hospital where the wounded were being treated and announced three days of mourning.

“This is a terrible tragedy that has affected us all,” said Mr Spajic. “All police teams are out.”

Police commissioner Lazar Scepanovic said Martinovic was at the bar throughout the day with other guests when the brawl erupted.

He said the suspect then went home, brought back a weapon and opened fire at around 5.30pm. The police chief said he killed four people at the bar and then continued shooting at three more locations.

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The suspect is believed to have been handed a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behaviour and had appealed his latest conviction for illegal weapons possession.

RTCG reported that he was known for erratic and violent behaviour.

Montenegro, which has a population of 620,000 people, is known for gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.

Wednesday’s gun attack is the second shooting rampage over the past three years in Cetinje, Montenegro’s former royal capital.

An attacker also killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before he was shot and killed by a passerby.