Thu Jan 02 04:21:10 UTC 2025: ## Montenegro Mass Shooting Leaves 10 Dead, Including Children
**Cetinje, Montenegro –** A gunman opened fire in a restaurant near Cetinje, Montenegro on January 1, 2025, killing at least 10 people, including two children aged 10 and 13. The 45-year-old suspect, identified only as A.M., engaged in a shooting spree across multiple locations before turning the gun on himself. He died of his injuries after being transported to a hospital.
The attack, which began around 5:30 p.m. local time, resulted in four additional serious injuries, though police have since reported that those victims are out of danger. Police Chief Lazar Scepanovic stated that the suspect had consumed alcohol throughout the day before an altercation with another restaurant patron escalated into the deadly shooting. The firearms used were illegally obtained, according to authorities.
Montenegro’s Prime Minister Milojko Spajic declared three days of national mourning, beginning Thursday, January 2nd. He attributed the incident to a “restaurant fight” that spiraled out of control, and vowed to tighten the country’s gun control laws. President Jakov Milatovic expressed shock and sorrow, offering condolences to the victims’ families.
While mass shootings are rare in Montenegro, this incident echoes a similar tragedy in 2022 where a gunman killed 10 people in Cetinje. The country continues to grapple with issues of organized crime and corruption, challenges that are under scrutiny as Montenegro seeks to join the European Union. The Small Arms Survey estimates that approximately 245,000 firearms are in circulation in Montenegro, a nation of over 620,000 people.
First Piper 