PODGORICA, Montenegro (Reuters) – The gunman who killed at least 10 people in a small Montenegrin town died from self-inflicted injuries on Thursday after attempting suicide, Montenegrin Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic said.
The gunman, identified by police as Alexander Martinovich (45 years old), attempted to commit suicide near his home in the town of Cetinje after police surrounded him.
“When he saw that he was in a hopeless situation, he tried to commit suicide. He did not die from his wounds immediately, but while he was being transported to the hospital,” Saranovic told Montenegro's state radio and television.
Saranovic did not provide any details about the suicide attempt.
Martinovic was on the run after opening fire on Wednesday afternoon in a restaurant in Cetinje, a small town located 38 kilometers west of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, where four people were killed.
The shooter then moved to three other locations, killing at least six more people, including two children, police said. Four other people suffered life-threatening injuries.
Police said Martinovich has a history of possessing illegal weapons.
Police Chief Lazar Šepanovic said late Wednesday that he believed the suspect had been drinking heavily before the shooting. Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said that a quarrel had occurred before the shooting.
Police said the shooting was not believed to be linked to organized crime.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Montenegro, which has a deep-rooted gun culture. In 2022, 11 people were killed in Cetinje also, including two children and a gunman, in a mass attack.
Wednesday's incident shocked the country, which has a population of 605,000 people. Spajek described the rampage as a “terrible tragedy” and declared three days of national mourning. President Jakov Milatović said he was “horrified” by the attack.
Despite strict gun laws, the Western Balkans, made up of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia, are still full of weapons. Most of them are from the bloody wars of the 1990s, but some even date back to World War I.
Spaich said authorities would consider tightening standards for owning and carrying firearms, including the possibility of imposing a complete ban on weapons.
