A 13th victim of a New Year's Day mass shooting in Montenegro has died, raising the death toll from a single gunman. The tragic incident unfolded in the western town of Cetinje, following a bar brawl.
The gunman, a 45-year-old local man, fatally shot 12 people at multiple locations before taking his own life. Two of the victims were children. Four others were injured, including Dejan Kokotovic (1985), who succumbed to his wounds Thursday.
This latest tragedy marks the second mass shooting in Cetinje in less than three years. In August 2022, another gunman killed 10 people before being fatally shot by a bystander.
The back-to-back shootings have sparked public outrage and concerns about rising violence in the politically divided nation of Montenegro. Protests have called for the resignation of top security officials, citing inaction in preventing these incidents.
The Montenegrin government has vowed to implement measures to combat the illegal gun trade. Montenegro, a nation of approximately 620,000 people, is reported to have a significant illegal weapons problem, ranking sixth globally in illegal weapons per capita, according to state broadcaster RTCG. This deeply ingrained gun culture remains a significant concern.
