Two children are among 10 people killed after a gunman opened fire in western Montenegro following a bar brawl, police and a government official said.
Montenegro’s interior minister Danilo Saranovic said four people were wounded in the attack in the town of Cetinje.
Police identified the suspect as 45-year-old Aleksandar Martinovic and released a mugshot of him while he was on the run.
Mr Saranovic later said that the gunman had died after taking his own life near his home in Cetinje.
The interior minister told state broadcaster RTCG that Martinovic died while he was being transported to hospital.
Police told the broadcaster the he had suffered a head wound.
Special troops were involved in the search for him after the shooting in the town around 18 miles northwest of the capital Podgorica.
The interior minister said Martinovic killed the owner of the bar, the bar owner’s children and his own family members.
“At this moment, we are focused on arresting him,” he added during the manhunt.
President Jakov Milatovic said in a post on the X social media platform that he was “shocked and stunned” by the mass shooting.
He wrote: “Instead of holiday joy… we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Milojko Spajic went to the hospital where the wounded were being treated and announced three days of mourning.
“This is a terrible tragedy that has affected us all,” said Mr Spajic. “All police teams are out.”
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RTCG said Martinovic was known for erratic behaviour and had been detained in the past for illegal possession of weapons.
The report said he went home to get his gun after a brawl before returning to the bar and opening fire.
He then went to another site where he killed the bar owner’s children and a woman, the report added.
Mr Saranovic has also said the suspect’s own family members are among the dead.
Police and security personnel at the scene where several people were shot. Pic: Reuters
Montenegro, which has a population of 620,000 people, is known for gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.
Tonight’s gun attack is the second shooting rampage over the past three years in Cetinje, Montenegro’s former royal capital.
An attacker also killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before he was shot and killed by a passerby.
