Massacre in Montenegro | The city of Cetinje in shock

(Cetinje) The peaceful small town of Cetinje, in Montenegro, was in shock on Saturday, bereaved by a massacre which left 11 dead the day before, including two children and the shooter, described by his neighbors as a man without history.

A dead silence reigned over the district of Medovina where the tragedy took place, triggered, according to initial information requiring confirmation and clarification, by an argument.

Elsewhere in the city, the inhabitants of Cetinje, located 36 km west of the capital Podgorica, were still in shock and evoked the tragedy in low voices on the terraces of cafes.

The exact motives of the killer, who was shot dead by a civilian according to the prosecutor in charge of the case, remain an enigma. According to his neighbors, his family, his wife and four children were not present at the time of the tragedy.

“A Peaceful Man”

“He was a peaceful and discreet man, employed at the (neighboring) national park, father of four children. Nobody expected that from him,” a 55-year-old neighbor told AFP, on condition of anonymity.

The killer, identified for the time being only by his initials VB, aged 34, first killed his three tenants, a 26-year-old mother and her two children aged 8 and 11.

According to several residents of the neighborhood interviewed by AFP, the killer then moved from house to house and shot everyone who was there. “In all, he broke into six houses,” said one.

On the terrace of a house, people dressed in black from the Drecun family, three of whose members were among the victims, sought in vain to console themselves on Saturday. Devastated by the pain, they retreated inside as soon as they saw journalists approaching.

Local radio editor Mladen Zadrima went to the scene immediately after the tragedy. “The next day did not bring relief, on the contrary sadness settled among us,” he told AFP.

unprecedented crime

Six people were also injured, two of whom are in critical condition, Ljiljana Radulovic, director of the central hospital in Podgorica, told reporters on Friday.

This killing is one of the bloodiest in the recent history of Montenegro, and a rather rare occurrence in the region. We have to go back to April 2013, when a maniac had, in Serbia, near Belgrade, shot and killed 13 people before attempting suicide. He succumbed to his injuries a few days later.

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic on Friday called on his compatriots to support the families of the victims.

“I invite all citizens of Montenegro to be with the families of the innocent victims,” he wrote on Telegram. He then declared three days of national mourning.

Many foreign officials have sent messages of condolence, including regional leaders: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije, or the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell.

The tragedy occurred in the middle of the high tourist season in this country known for its picturesque beaches bordered by mountains.

After two years of stagnation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with an unemployment rate of some 18% and an average salary of 520 euros (C$682), Montenegro is counting on tourism to revive its economy.

Cetinje, the former royal capital, has about 14,000 inhabitants. It has experienced economic stagnation in recent decades after the closure of several factories that ensured the prosperity of the city.