A mass shooting leaves ten dead, including children

A gunman shot dead 12 people, including two children, in southern Montenegro, police said.

At least some deaths occurred on Wednesday inside a restaurant in the Cetinje area after a verbal altercation between guests, according to authorities.

It was later confirmed that the attacker killed himself.

The government declared three days of national mourning starting Thursday, and Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said the shooting “covered our country in black.”

Police said the attack began at 17:30 local time (16:30 GMT) when a man – identified as Alexander Martinovich, 45 – opened fire in the restaurant.

He killed members of his family, two of the restaurant owner’s children, ages 10 and 13, as well as the owner, according to the Montenegrin police chief.

The gunman then continued to kill more people in other locations.

Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic described the incident as “the result of troubled personal relationships,” according to Agence France-Presse.

According to police, the suspect had been drinking heavily before the attack began.

Four people were taken to hospital after being seriously injured in the shooting.

Police said the attacker fled but was later fatally wounded after police surrounded him and asked him to drop his weapon. He died on his way to the hospital.

“This senseless act has caused immeasurable grief and bitterness in every one of us. There are no words of comfort,” the Prime Minister wrote on social media.

Milojko Spaić said the country’s Security Council would “urgently examine all options” to protect the public, “including a complete ban on the possession of weapons.”

Mass shootings are relatively rare in the small Balkan country.

In 2022, A man killed several peopleAmong them are children in Cetinje following a family dispute.