The gunman who killed at least 12 people in a shooting in Montenegro committed suicide

PODGORICA, Montenegro – Officials said Thursday that the gunman who fatally shot at least 12 people, including two children, in Montenegro committed suicide while surrounded by police.

At least four other people were wounded Wednesday in a shooting in the western city of Cetinje that followed a bar fight, authorities said.

The shooter, identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinović, killed the bar owner, his children and members of his family, Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović said.

The attacker, who fled after his rampage, was later found and surrounded by police. He died after shooting himself in the head, Šaranović said.

Police deployed a special unit to search for the attacker in the city about 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of the capital, Podgorica. All roads in and out of the city were blocked as police filled the streets.

Šaranović said Martinović died while being transported to a hospital in the capital and died from the “severity of his injuries”.

The government declared three days of national mourning starting on Thursday, with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić describing the shooting as a “terrible tragedy.”

“The level of rage and brutality shows that sometimes such people… are even more dangerous than members of organized criminal gangs,” Šaranović said.

Police Commissioner Lazar Šćepanović said Martinović had been in the bar all day with other guests when the fight broke out. He said Martinovic then went to the house, brought a gun and opened fire around 5:30 p.m

He “killed four people” in the bar before leaving and then continued shooting in three more places, Šćepanović said.

He said the suspect received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent conduct and had appealed his most recent conviction for illegal possession of a firearm. Montenegrin media report that he was known for erratic and brutal behavior.

The small country of Montenegro, with a population of approximately 620,000, is famous for its gun culture, and many people traditionally own guns.

There was a shooting on Wednesday second shooting for the last three years in Cetinje, the historic capital of Montenegro. In August 2022, an attacker killed 10 people, including two children, before being shot dead by a passer-by in Cetinje.

President Jakov Milatović said he was “shocked and stunned” by the tragedy.

“Instead of Christmas joy, we were overcome by sadness at the loss of innocent people,” Milatovic wrote in a post on X.