The city of Cetinje in Montenegro is in mourning after a shootout that killed 11 people on Fridayincluding two children and the gunman, described by neighbors as a quiet man, AFP reported.

The Medovyna microdistrict, where the shooting took place, is shrouded in silence. According to the first information, which has not yet been confirmed or clarified, the cause of the incident was a fight.

Elsewhere in the city, residents of Cetinje, 36km west of the capital Podgorica, were still in shock and quietly talking about the tragedy on cafe terraces.

According to the prosecutor handling the case, the exact motives of the killer, who was shot by a civilian, remain a mystery. According to his neighbors, his family, his wife and four children, there was no tragedy at the time.

“peaceful man”

“He was a quiet and reserved man, worked in the (neighboring) national park, father of four children. No one expected something like this from him,” a 55-year-old neighbor told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The 34-year-old killer, who has currently been identified only by the initials VB (not Vuk Borilovych, the Montenegrin press reports), first shot three of his residents, a 26-year-old mother and her two children, aged 8 and 11.

According to several local residents interviewed by AFP, the killer then went from house to house and shot everyone inside. “A total of six houses were hit,” said one of them.

On the terrace of the house, members of the Drekun family, dressed in black, three members of which are among the victims, searched in vain for salvation on Saturday. Grief-stricken, they went inside as soon as they saw the journalists approaching.

Immediately after the tragedy, local radio editor Mladen Zadrima went to the scene. “The next day did not bring relief, on the contrary, sadness settled among us,” he told AFP.

An unprecedented crime

Six people were also injured, two of whom are in serious condition, Liliana Radulovich, director of the Podgorica Central Hospital, told reporters on Friday.

This crime is one of the bloodiest in the recent history of Montenegro and a rare event in the region.

The Prime Minister of Montenegro, Dritan Abazovich, appealed to his compatriots to support the families of the victims.

“I invite all citizens of Montenegro to support the families of the innocent victims,” ​​he wrote in Telegram. After that, the Prime Minister announced a three-day national mourning.

Many foreign officials sent messages of condolences, including regional leaders: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

The tragedy occurred at the height of the tourist season in this country, known for its picturesque beaches framed by mountains.

After two years of stagnation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with an unemployment rate of around 18% and an average salary of €520, Montenegro is relying on tourism to revive its economy.

Cetinje, the former royal capital, has approximately 14,000 inhabitants. In recent decades, it has experienced economic stagnation after the closure of several factories that ensured the city’s prosperity.