A spree killing in Montenegro left 12 people dead and several others wounded on New Year’s Day.
The shooter, identified as Aco Martinović, committed after being confronted by law enforcement.
The incident started after a bar fight in Bajice village in the evening. Police Commissioner Lazar Šćepanović stated that the shooter had been at the bar with other patrons when a fight broke out, according to NBC News. After the brawl, he went home to retrieve a firearm before returning to the bar and opening fire, killing four people.
Martinović, 45, traveled to three more locations to carry out more shootings before encountering police. Two of his victims were children. The shooter took his own life by shooting himself in the head. He died en route to the hospital.
Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović lamented the tragedy, saying “The level of rage and brutality shows that sometimes such people … are even more dangerous than members of organized criminal gangs.”
Martinović had a long history of violence and possessing illegal firearms. NBC News reported that “the suspect received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behavior and had appealed his latest conviction for illegal weapons possession.”
In total, the shooter killed victims at five different locations.
Aleksandar Martinovic (45), went on a rampage in a small town in Montenegro, killing at least 10 people and then attempted to take his own life. pic.twitter.com/dqyEMisyYo
— The Jakarta Globe (@thejakartaglobe) January 2, 2025
🇲🇪🚨 NEW: A gunman named Aco Martinovic carried out a deadly attack in the town of Cetinje, Montenegro, leaving seven people dead, including two children aged 11 and 7, and injuring four others. The incident occurred when Martinovic entered a bar and opened fire on a crowd.
— TabZ (@TabZLIVE) January 1, 2025
The… pic.twitter.com/8TOVODNwEw
Montenegro’s government declared three days of national mourning. Several officials expressed their anger and grief over the incident. “Instead of holiday joy ... we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives,” said President Jakov Milatović
Mass shootings are a rare occurrence in Montenegro, which is a small Balkan nation of about 620,000 people. The nation has a robust gun culture with many residents owning firearms.
This tragedy comes just after an ISIS terrorism killed ten people in New Orleans after he drove his truck into a crowd in the French Quarter on New Year’s Day. The perpetrator was killed after exchanging gunfire with police at the scene.
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