Gunman opens fire in Montenegro killing 10, including two children

Two children were among 10 people killed in a horrific shooting, with special forces dispatched to find the gunman.

At least 10 people, including two children, were killed and four others injured in a shooting that followed a bar brawl in Montenegro — a Balkan nation in Europe.

Police identified the attacker as 45-year-old Aco Martinovic who killed the owner of the bar, the bar owner’s children and his own family members in the city Cetinje, Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic said.

The attacker died from his injuries on Thursday after attempting suicide, The Sun reported.

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 confirmed.

Police director Lazar Scepanovic told a news conference that the suspect killed four people in the bar.

The gunman then moved to three other locations, killing more people, including two children.

Police said the suspect is 45-year-old Aco Martinovic. Picture: Police of Montenegro

The suspect had been drinking heavily for most of the day, he said.

Scepanovic added that the suspect received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behaviour and has appealed his latest conviction for illegal possession of weapons.

Montenegrin media have reported that the suspect was known for erratic and violent behaviour.

Police officers stand guard at a check point on the outskirts of Cetinje after a gunman killed several people in the nearby village of Bajice. Picture: Savo Prelevic/AFP

State RTCG television reported that the suspect was in “conflict” with another person at the bar and went home to grab a gun before returning and opening fire.

Police officers and civil protection units secure the crime scene. Picture: Savo Prelevic/AFP

It also claimed he went on to a second location and killed the bar owner’s children, along with a woman in the heinous attack.

The RTCG report, which published Martinovic’s photo on its website, said he was known for erratic behaviour and had been detained in the past for illegal possession of weapons.

President Jakov Milatovic said he was “shocked and stunned” by the shooting, writing on X: “Instead of holiday joy, we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives”.

Prime Minister Milojko Spajic went to the hospital where the injured were being treated.

Spajic also announced three days of mourning without specifying how many were killed.

The prime minister said: "A terrible tragedy has struck all of us in Cetinje, in the village of Bajice near Cetinje". Picture: Savo Prelevic/AFP

“This is a terrible tragedy that has affected us all,” Spajic said.

“All police teams are out.”

Meanwhile, Montenegro’s Police Directorate said in a statement: “All available police units are on the ground, undertaking activities within their jurisdiction”.

Mass shootings are a rarity in Montenegro, despite having a deeply-rooted gun culture.

Small Montenegro, which has some 620,000 people, is known for gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.

The shooting was the second shooting rampage over the past three years in Cetinje, Montenegro’s historic capital.

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

This story originally appeared on The Sun and was republished with permission.

Originally published as Gunman opens fire in Montenegro killing 10, including two children