A gunman killed at least four people and injured four others in the western region on Wednesday. Montenegrin City of Setenjepolice and local media said. The shooter was on the run.
Police dispatched special forces to search for the attacker in Setinje, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of the capital Podgorica. A statement said the man opened fire at a bar and fled the scene armed. Police identified him only by his initials AM and said he was 45 years old.
Police said at least four people were killed, while state-run RTCG television and other Montenegrin media reported that seven people were killed and that the shooting followed a bar brawl.
Montenegro's Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic said “several people were killed,” including the bar owner and his family, as well as the shooter's family – but did not give a final death toll.
President Jakov Milatovic said he was “shocked and shocked” by the tragedy. “Instead of the joy of the holiday … we are saddened by the loss of innocent lives,” Milatovic said on social media platform X.
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Prime Minister Milojko visited the Spajak hospital where the injured were being treated and announced three days of mourning, without specifying how many had died. happened
“This is a terrible tragedy that has affected us all,” Spajac said. “All police teams are out.”
Tiny Montenegro, home to about 620,000 people, is known for its gun culture and many have traditionally carried weapons.
Wednesday's shooting was the second shooting in the past three years in Montenegro's historic capital, Cetinje. An assailant killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before he was shot dead by a bystander in Setanje.
The RTCG report identified the man as Iko Martinovic, saying he was known for erratic behavior and had been detained for illegal weapons possession in the past. . The TV posted a photo of the alleged suspect on its website.
He went home to get his gun and returned to the bar, where he opened fire, killing and injuring several people, the report said. He then went to another site where he killed the bar owner's children and a woman, the report added.
Police ruled out a clash between criminal gangs and appealed to residents to remain calm and stay indoors.
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