Shooting in Montenegro killed at least 4 people, fugitive suspect: police – National

On Wednesday, a gunman killed at least four people and injured four others in the west Montenegro city CetinjeThe police and local mass media reported on this. The shooter was on the run.

The police sent special forces to search for the attacker in Cetinje, located about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital Podgorica. According to the statement, the man opened fire in the bar and fled the scene armed. Police identified him only by the initials AM and said he was 45 years old.

State broadcaster RTCG and other Montenegrin media reported that seven people were dead and that the shooting followed a bar fight, while police said at least four were dead.

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Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic went to the hospital where the wounded were treated and announced three days of mourning. He also did not specify how many people were killed.

“This is a terrible tragedy that affects us all,” Spajic said. “All police teams are out.”

With a population of about 620,000, tiny Montenegro is known for its gun culture, and many people have traditionally owned guns.

Wednesday’s shooting was the second in the past three years in Montenegro’s historic capital Cetinje. The attacker killed 10 people, including two children, before being shot and killed by a passerby in Cetinje in August 2022.

The RTCG report identified the man as Ako Martinovic, who was known for his illegal behavior and had been detained for illegal possession of weapons in the past. The television station published a photo of the suspect on its website.

The report said he went home to get his gun and returned to the bar, where he opened fire, killing and wounding several people. He then went to another location where he killed the bar owner’s children and a woman, the report added.

The police ruled out the possibility of a clash between criminal gangs and urged residents to remain calm and stay at home.