An armed man killed 10 people, including two children, and injured four more on January 1, 2025, in the Montenegrin town of Cetinje. The shooter remains at large. This is reported by Slobodna Evropa.
The police deployed special forces to search for the shooter, who opened fire on bar patrons in Cetinje, located about 30 kilometers northwest of the capital, Podgorica. The man fled the scene armed. Authorities have only stated that he is a 45-year-old male. Journalists have identified him as Ako Martinović.
Reports indicate that at least 10 people have died. Local media state that the death toll is 11, including two children. It is also reported that Martinović killed his own parents.
Montenegro's Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović stated that "several people have died," including the bar owner and members of his family, as well as family members of the shooter, but did not specify the exact number of fatalities.
President Jakov Milatović expressed that he was "shocked and overwhelmed" by the tragedy. "Instead of festive joy… we are engulfed in sorrow over the loss of innocent lives," Milatović said.
Prime Minister Milojko Spajić visited the hospital where the injured are being treated and declared a three-day period of mourning, canceling all public events without specifying the exact number of casualties.
The small country of Montenegro, with a population of about 620,000, is known for its culture of carrying firearms, and many people take them along.
The shooting on January 1, 2025, marks the second such incident in Cetinje in the past three years. In August 2022, a gunman killed 10 people before being shot by a bystander.
In a report by RTCG, the man was identified as Ako Martinović and was noted for his erratic behavior, having previously been detained for illegal possession of firearms. In 2005, Martinović was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for aggressive behavior, but was not treated as a person of interest by security services, Minister Šaranović reported.
He added that in 2022, he was found with weapons and explosives, for which he was sentenced to three months in prison.
The report states that after a quarrel in the bar, he went home for his weapon and returned, opening fire on people. He then went to another bar, where he killed the bar owner's children and a woman, the police report indicates.
It is worth noting that on January 1, 2025, a man drove into a crowd in New Orleans, killing at least 10 people. He turned out to be a U.S. citizen from Texas with a military background.