The latest shooting took place in the village of Dubona, south of the Serbian capital Belgrade, as the country mourned nine people killed when a 13-year-old boy carried out a shooting at a Belgrade school the day before.
Police at the scene of a shooting in Serbia. Photo: Reuters
State broadcaster RTS said the suspect had been involved in a fight in the schoolyard. He went to get a rifle and a pistol, opened fire, and then continued shooting at people from a moving car.
Authorities said the suspect shot at people in two other nearby villages before fleeing. Police eventually found him hiding in his grandfather’s house, where they also discovered grenades, an automatic rifle and ammunition. Police also arrested the suspect’s grandfather and uncle.
In a speech, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called the incident a "terrorist attack" and said the gunman was wearing a T-shirt with neo-Nazi symbols.
Despite strict gun control measures, Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans still have a lot of military- grade weapons and equipment in private hands after the 1990s wars.
Serbia also plans to hire 1,200 new police officers to ensure security at schools and grant amnesty to those who hand in illegal weapons and explosives. Mr Vucic has also proposed reintroducing the death penalty, but said the government was against it.
In the first and unrelated shooting, police also arrested the 13-year-old suspect's father, who is now facing up to 12 years in prison for training his son to use a gun.
Trung Kien (according to Reuters)
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