Montenegro: Ten killed as ‘drunk’ gunman, Aleksandar Martinovic, goes on shooting rampage

A gunman who killed at least 10 people in a rampage in a small town in Montenegro, has died from his injuries after attempting suicide, the country’s interior minister Danilo Saranovic says.

The gunman, identified by police as Aleksandar Martinovic, 45, attempted suicide near his home in the town of Cetinje, and died from his injuries while en route to hospital, Saranovic told state broadcaster RTCG.

Saranovic provided no details on the attempted suicide.

Martinovic was on the run after opening fire on Wednesday afternoon at a restaurant in Cetinje, a small town located 38km west of Podgorica, the Montenegrin capital, where he killed four people.

The shooter then moved on to three other locations, killing at least six more people, including two children, police said. Four other people suffered life-threatening injuries.

Police said Martinovic 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.

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said there had been a brawl before shots were fired.

Police said the shooting was not thought to be connected to organised crime.

In a live TV broadcast from outside a medical centre, Spajic called the incident a “terrible tragedy” and declared three days of national mourning.

“It seems that according to the first information ... the perpetrator did not have the background of someone who is a member of organised crime groups. There was a brawl where pistols were used,” Spajic said.

Montenegro’s president, Jakov Milatovic, also reacted to Wednesday’s attack.

“I am stunned and horrified with the tragedy in Cetinje. ... We are praying and hoping for the recovery of the wounded,” he said in a statement.

Cetinje was eerily quiet and snow-covered streets were literally empty except for law enforcement on Wednesday. Cetinje sits in a shallow valley surrounded by rugged mountains.

Mass shootings are comparatively rare in Montenegro, which has a deeply rooted gun culture.

In 2022, 11 people, including two children and a gunman, were killed in a mass shooting in Montenegro, which also injured six others.

Despite strict gun laws, the Western Balkans comprised of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia remains awash with weapons. Most are from the bloody wars in the 1990s, but some date back even to World War I.

Spajic said authorities would tighten criteria for carrying firearms, including the possibility of a complete ban on weapons.

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