8 dead, 10 injured in shooting near Serbian capital, second incident in 2 days

A 21-year-old suspect went on a shooting rampage, killing eight people and injuring 10 others in a town near the capital Belgrade late on Thursday (local time).

This is the second shooting in Serbia in the last two days, local media reported. The suspect used an automatic weapon and fired indiscriminately at people near Mladenovac, some 50 kilometres south of Belgrade, The Associated Press quoted the RTS report as saying.

Police were looking for the attacker, who fled after the shooting. So far, no statements have been released by the police.

On Wednesday, eight school children and a guard were killed after a 13-year-old boy used his father’s guns and opened fire in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school. The shooting sent shockwaves across the country and triggered calls for gun control.

Seven people — six children and a teacher suffered injuries and were rushed to a hospital. One boy remains in critical condition due to spinal injuries while one girl, who was shot in the head, is serious, doctors said on Thursday.

The shooter, identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, was apprehended by the police and did not give any motive for his actions, police said.

Kecmanovic entered the school and first shot dead the guard and three students in the hallway. He then proceeded to a history classroom where he killed a teacher and other students.

He surrendered after he called the police. When he was apprehended, the attacker told officers on duty that he was a “psychopath who needs to calm down”, according to police.