Serbia mourned the senseless murder of nine persons Thursday, following the May 3 shooting of at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in Belgrade that left eight students and one security guard dead, as well as six injured.
The suspect was named as Vladislav Ribnikar student Kosta K. Only 13-years-old, Kosta K. is currently under arrest and will be reportedly transported to a psychiatric care center. The shooter’s parents have also both been arrested.
As of press time it was unclear if the parents had been charged, with police noting that guns had been kept under lock, but that the combination was known to Kosta K.
Likewise, the suspect is too young to be charged with murder under Serbia’s criminal code, and thus his long-term fate is quite unclear.
The suspect first shot and killed a security guard before shooting three students in a school hallway. He then moved to a classroom where he continued firing, killing five more students and wounding six others, as well as a teacher. One of the wounded as well as the teacher are currently listed in serious condition.
The suspect was allegedly armed with two to four petrol bombs or “Molotov cocktails,” two firearms, multiple clips of ammunition and a list of students whom he planned to target during the attack.
Vigils for the deceased were held in Belgrade Wednesday night, and across Serbia business events, conferences and public entertainment were cancelled.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic noted that the suspect had visited firing ranges to practice shooting with his father, and local police noted that the attack was premeditated and in fact “planned in detail.” Vucic also announced a three-day period of national mourning while calling for gun sales and licenses to be limited only to those allowed for hunting game.
Photo by СРБИН.инфо, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.
