In brief
In a heartbreaking incident that has shocked the small Balkan nation of Montenegro, a shooting in Cetinje left ten dead, including two children, after a bar conflict. The suspected assailant, identified as Aco Martinovic, was later found deceased, marking a grim chapter in the country’s history of gun violence.
A gunman tragically killed at least ten individuals, including two children, in a shooting rampage that erupted in Cetinje, Montenegro, following a bar fight on Wednesday. This harrowing event led to a government declaration of three days of mourning across the country. The shooting took place approximately 22 miles from the capital, with victims including the bar owner and his children, according to Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic in a press briefing.Authorities quickly identified the shooter as 45-year-old Aco Martinovic. “Our immediate focus was to arrest him,” Minister Saranovic stated, before Prime Minister Milojko Spajic later confirmed that the suspect had been found dead, reportedly from self-inflicted wounds. Four others were left seriously injured in the aftermath.In the wake of this tragedy, Prime Minister Spajic announced that the government would be reviewing firearm regulations. “This is an incomprehensible tragedy affecting us all,” Spajic lamented. The government also called for the cancellation of public festivities and performances during the mourning period. “We should be celebrating, but instead we find ourselves consumed by grief over the innocent lives lost,” said President Jakov Milatovic.This incident marks the second mass shooting in Cetinje in a span of three years, reflecting ongoing concerns about gun violence in Montenegro. In 2022, a similar attack took the lives of ten individuals, including two children, before the assailant was shot dead by a civilian. Montenegro, home to around 620,000 residents, is known for its high rate of gun ownership—ranking alongside Serbia with about 39 firearms per 100 people, surpassing only the United States and Yemen in global statistics.
