Serbia: Police Hunt for Suspect in Second Mass Shooting
A gunman has killed eight people in the second mass shooting in Serbia in just two days.
A gunman has killed eight people in the second mass shooting in Serbia in just two days. Police are still looking for the attacker as the country mourns.Police on Friday were still on the hunt for a gunman who killed eight people in a town in central Serbia on Thursday, local media reported.
Another 13 people were wounded as the attacker went on a shooting spree in the town of Mladenovac, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the capital Belgrade.
Police were searching for a 21-year-old suspect who allegedly fled after opening fire with an assault rifle and handgun from a moving car, seemingly at random, while passing through several villages.
The mass shooting was the second to take place in Serbia in less than 48 hours after a 13-year-old student shot dead eight peers and a security guard in a Belgrade elementary school on Wednesday.
What we know about Thursday's attack
Local media reported that the suspect had been involved in an altercation at a school late on Thursday.
He allegedly left before returning with his two guns.
The victims appeared to be, at least in part, at random and included an off-duty police officer and his sister, according to state broadcaster RTS.
A large contingent of around 600 police officers as well as the Special Antiterrorist Unit (SAJ) was deployed following the mass shooting, setting up heavily armed roadblocks in Mladenovac and launching a manhunt.
Helicopters and drones were also seen flying above the scene and nearby areas.
Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the drive-by shootings "a terrorist act," according to state media.
Serbia in mourning
The first bout of bloodshed had already sent shockwaves through the Balkan nation where such mass shootings are not common.
Authorities had announced a three-day mourning period to begin on Friday after Wednesday's school shooting.
President Aleksandar Vucic also 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.
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 goes unpunished.
ab,ns/rc,wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 11:40 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).