Serbia: Manhunt on After Deadly Shooting Spree
Atleast eight people were killed in a shooting spree a day after a teen shot dead nine people in a school.
Atleast eight people were killed in a shooting spree a day after a teen shot dead nine people in a school. Serbia has vowed to boost gun control measures.Atleast eight people were killed in a shooting on Thursday in a Serbian town 60 kilimeters from Belgrade, reported the state media.
More than 10 people have been injured in the attack. Police are searching for the 21-year-old suspect who fled after the attack.
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This is the second incident of mass-shooting to take place within two days in Serbia.
A 13-year-old student on Wednesday, shot dead eight peers and a security guard in a Belgrade elementary school.
Serbia in mourning
The teen who went on a shooting used two of his father's guns, was armed with petrol bombs and "planned the shooting for a month and made a list of kids he planned to kill."
The boy can't face criminal charges because of his age, said officials who have detained his father for endangering public security.
The bloodshed sent shockwaves through the Balkan nation where such mass shooting are not common.
Dozens of students from across Serbia streamed into Belgrade wearing black and carrying flowers to pay homage to their peers who were killed.
After the school shooting incident, authorities announced a three-day mourning period which will begin on Friday onward.
Serbia boosts gun control measures
Hours after the school shooting on Wednesday, President Aleksandar Vucic announced a host of gun control measures.
Serbia's Interior Ministry warned gun owners to keep their weapons empty and locked in gun cabinets or safes.
Police inspected homes of registered gun owners to ensure they keep weapons safe.
Serbian teachers' unions announced protests demanding changes and warning that a crisis is looming within the school system.
Prior to the two recent attacks, the last mass shooting was in 2013 when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.
History of war shapes the dangers of a gun culture
Gun culture is widespread in Serbia — the region is among the top countries with the number of guns per capita in Europe.
Guns are mostly used to fire during celebrations but the idolizing of the warriors is still part of the national identity.
The tragedy sparked a debate about the state of the Balkan country whose history is seeped in decades of crises and conflicts— the aftermath of which has created a permanent sense of insecurity and instability.
Experts have repeatedly been warning of the danger that this gun culture poses in a highly divided country like Serbia where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minorities often go unpunished.
ns/xx (AP, AFP)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 08:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).