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2025 Cetinje shootings

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2025 Cetinje shootings
LocationCetinje, Montenegro
Date1 January 2025
c. 5:30 p.m. (CET)
Attack type
Mass shooting, shooting spree
Weapon9 mm handgun
Deaths13 (including the perpetrator)
Injured4
PerpetratorAco Martinović
MotiveRetaliation for earlier brawl

On 1 January 2025, a man killed twelve people and wounded four others during five separate shootings in Cetinje, Montenegro, before killing himself later on the same day. It is the deadliest mass shooting in the country's history, and the second mass shooting in Cetinje after the 2022 Cetinje shooting.[1]

Shootings

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At around 17:30 CET (UTC+01:00)[2] on 1 January 2025, a brawl erupted inside a bar in Cetinje. After the fight, a man identified as 45-year-old Aco Martinović (Montenegrin: Ацо Мартиновић) left the scene and returned to his home to get his gun. Martinović returned to the restaurant and opened fire, killing four men and seriously wounding four others.[3] He then moved to another location, killing four more people. He escaped again and moved to two more locations, where he killed two children and two adults.[4] Some of the dead included the owner of the bar and his two children, who were aged 8 and 13.[5]

Authorities blocked roads from Cetinje to search for the suspect, while special forces were deployed to assist.[6] Several of the dead were later confirmed to have been killed in the village of Bajice. After being surrounded by police,[7] the suspect shot himself in the head near his home, in the Cetinje suburb of Humci, and died while being transported to a hospital[8][9] on the morning of 2 January. Several of the victims were transported to a hospital in Podgorica, with four in a critical condition.[5]

Martinović had been detained in the past for possession of illegal firearms, as well as domestic violence.[10] He had also received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behavior.[9] He was described as having "consumed alcoholic beverages all day" prior to the shooting.[11]

Police recovered a 9 mm gun, 37 casings and 80 additional pieces of ammunition from the gunman at the scene.[12]

Victims

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Thirteen people, including the perpetrator, were killed and four others were seriously injured with life-threatening injuries. Among the victims were two boys aged 8 and 13[13] and two relatives of singer and Zvezde Granda winner Darko Martinović.[14]

Reactions

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President Jakov Milatović said he was shocked and stunned by the tragedy, tweeting that "Instead of holiday joy ... we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives". Prime Minister Milojko Spajić visited the hospital where some of the victims were being treated, and announced three days of national mourning[6] and the cancellation of scheduled New Year celebrations.[9] The government announced that it would consider tightening regulations on the ownership of firearms.[10] Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović said the shooting was a "consequence of disturbed interpersonal relations".[2]

On 3 January, the National Security Council announced new gun safety measures that include new security and psychological checks for registered gun owners and harsh punishment for illegal weapons holders at the end of a two-month amnesty to surrender their firearms. That same day, 200 people protested outside government headquarters in Podgorica demanding the resignation of top security officials over the shooting.[12] This was followed by another demonstration on 5 January demanding the resignations of Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defense Aleksa Bečić.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Visnjic, Borislav (2 January 2025). "Montenegro Mourns Victims After 12 Killed in Mass Shooting". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b Burgess, Jack; Jackson, Patrick (2 January 2025). "Twelve people killed in Montenegro mass shooting". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  3. ^ Vasiljevic, Stevo (1 January 2025). "Several dead in shooting incident in Montenegro-local media citing police". Reuters. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  4. ^ "Montenegro mourns after gunman kills at least 12 people before shooting himself". Associated Press. 1 January 2025. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b "At least 12 killed in mass shooting in Montenegro, suspect kills himself". Al Jazeera. 2 January 2025. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b Milic, Predrag (1 January 2025). "An armed man kills at least 10 people, including 2 children, in a shooting rampage in Montenegro". AP News. Archived from the original on 5 January 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  7. ^ Burgess, Jack; Jackson, Patrick (1 January 2025). "National mourning after mass shooting in Montenegro". BBC News. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Armed assailant kills several people in mass shooting in Montenegro". France 24. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "A man who killed at least 12 people in a shooting spree in Montenegro dies by suicide". NPR. 2 January 2025. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Suspect in Montenegro shooting dies from self-inflicted injuries after killing at least 10 people". CNN. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Montenegro mourns after gunman kills 12". France 24. 2 January 2025. Archived from the original on 2 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  12. ^ a b Milic, Predrag (3 January 2025). "Montenegro to tackle gun control after mass killing left 12 dead". KTXL. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  13. ^ "Drug iz klupe posvetio čitulju najmlađoj žrtvi masakra na Cetinju".
  14. ^ R, D (2 January 2025). "Cetinje massacre as it happened: Mass killer murders 12, seriously wounds 4, shoots himself in the head". Telegraf. Archived from the original on 3 January 2025. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  15. ^ Milic, Predrag (6 January 2025). "Thousands protest in Montenegro to demand ouster of top security officials over mass shooting". AP News. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
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