Ten killed as town rocked by massacre

CETINJE: Residents in the quiet Montenegrin town of Cetinje were filled with disbelief as they tried to make sense of an unexpected mass shooting, in which 10 people died in a gruesome killing spree.

The local residents were murdered by a man in broad daylight on Friday, before a passer-by killed him, according to the state prosecutor.

The shooting erupted after an alleged argument involving the gunman turned violent.

The gunman then went on a door-to-door rampage during which he massacred a mother and two small children in a home he owned, according to residents.

Six people were also wounded, including three who were in a critical condition.

“In all, he broke into six houses,” one resident in Cetinje told AFP.

Authorities have yet to release a motive for the crime by the 34-year-old assailant, who his neighbours described as a “peaceful” family man, who worked at a nearby national park and had been the member of a local hunting club.

“He was a peaceful and discreet man,” said the 55-yearold neighbour of the gunman, who asked to remain anonymous. “He was a father of four children. Nobody expected this of him. I didn’t know him very well, but he was never a problem ... I am shocked that he could have done this,” the neighbour said.

Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic announced three days of official mourning, saying the incident was unprecedented in Montenegro’s recent history.

“I invite all the citizens of Montenegro to be with the families of the innocent victims,” he wrote in a post on Telegram late Friday.

Mladen Zadrima, the chief editor of Cetinje’s local radio station, said residents were struggling to come to terms with the scale of the tragedy in the close-knit community of just 14,000 people.

“The day after has not brought any relief. On the contrary, disbelief has been replaced by sadness,” Zadrima said.

Cetinje is famed as the former royal capital and produced a string of renowned painters, but has recently fallen into economic malaise.