Tragedy Strikes Montenegro: Twelve Lives Lost in Mass Shooting

Tue Apr 21 2026 08:44:08 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A horrific mass shooting in Montenegro has claimed the lives of twelve individuals, including two children, leading to three days of national mourning.

In a shocking incident in southern Montenegro, a gunman, identified as 45-year-old Aleksandar Martinović, opened fire in the Cetinje region, resulting in the deaths of twelve people, two of whom were children aged ten and thirteen. The attack, which started at 5:30 PM local time, allegedly stemmed from a verbal disagreement in a restaurant where the assailant killed members of his own family as well as the restaurant owner.

Montenegro's Interior Minister, Danilo Saranovic, described the tragedy as "a consequence of disturbed interpersonal relations," while police revealed that the attacker had been drinking prior to the shooting. In addition to the fatalities, four others were hospitalized with serious injuries. Martinović fled the scene but subsequently took his own life when confronted by law enforcement officials.

Prime Minister Milojko Spajic expressed profound sorrow over the event, stating that it has left the nation "shrouded in black." The government has declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday and indicated that a review of public safety measures, including a possible ban on firearm ownership, would be conducted. Such mass shootings are rare in Montenegro, highlighting the gravity of this incident, which echoes a previous family dispute-related shooting in Cetinje in 2022.