Serbia's Parents Sentenced in Retrial for School Shooting

Thu Jun 18 2026 22:55:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Parents of the teenage shooter face prison terms after a retrial in Belgrade.

In a Belgrade court, the parents of the 13‑year‑old who opened fire at Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in 2023 received jail sentences. The father, Vladimir Kecmanović, was sentenced to fourteen years and six months, while his wife, Miljana Kecmanović, was given a term of two years and eleven months for neglect. Both parties have appealed the convictions, and the case highlights deeper questions about firearms safety and parental responsibility in Serbia. The retrial follows an initial trial that had cleared the mother of illegal possession but convicted her of neglect, underscoring the complexity of the legal proceedings.

Parents of Serbia’s Teenage Shooter Sentenced in Retrial

In January 2026 the Belgrade jurisdiction found Vladimir and Miljana Kecmanović, parents of the 13‑year‑old who fired 66 bullets at Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school on 3 May 2023, guilty of neglect and other related offences.

The court imposed a fourteen‑year, six‑month sentence on the father and a two‑year, eleven‑month term on the mother; both are now appealing the verdict.

The school shooting claimed the lives of nine people and wounded several others, including a history teacher and five children. The incident remains one of the most tragic in Serbia’s peacetime history, sparking nationwide protests and prompting policy changes on gun ownership and storage.

Initially tried in 2024, the parents’ case was re‑opened after the appeal court found inconsistencies in earlier verdicts. The retrial addressed allegations that the father had inadequately stored firearms and had taught his son how to handle guns, while also determining that the mother’s negligence contributed to the tragedy.

Lawyer Zora Dobričanin, representing the victims’ families, described the proceedings as an ongoing “long fight” that will continue in higher courts.

The retrial offers a judge’s perspective on the events that unfolded at the school, noting that the boy fired a rapid volley of shots over a span of just two minutes, spread across the hall and classroom, resulting in the devastating casualty count.

The case raises complex questions about parental responsibility, gun safety protocols, and the legal treatment of juvenile offenders in serious violent incidents.