Belgrade, May 4 (Alliance News):Eight students and a security guard were killed during a school shooting in Belgrade Wednesday, officials said, police accusing a detained 13-year-old suspect of plotting the attack for a month and drawing up a kill list
. The incident rocked the Balkan nation, with the president calling it “one of the most difficult days” in Serbia’s recent history. “Eight children and a security guard were killed, while six children and one schoolteacher were wounded,” the interior ministry said. Belgrade police chief Veselin Milic identified the dead students as seven girls and one boy, born between 2009 and 2011.
The shooting occurred at 8:40 am (0640 GMT) at an elementary school in Belgrade’s downtown Vracar district. Serbian elementary schools educate children aged seven to 15. Police moved quickly to seal off the neighbourhood as parents rushed to the school, where students were visibly distraught as they waited outside.
Milan Nedeljkovic, president of the Vracar district, said the school’s security guard likely prevented more deaths by putting himself in the line of fire. The guard “wanted to prevent the tragedy and he was the first victim”, Nedeljkovic told reporters outside the school. “Probably the tragedy would be even bigger if the man did not stand in front of the boy who was shooting,” he added.
Astrid Merlini, whose daughter was in the school during the shooting, said teachers moved quickly to hide students as the attack unfolded. “When (my daughter) saw the security guard fall, she immediately rushed back to class.
She was scared. She told her teacher — there is a shooting upstairs,” Merlini told AFP. “The teacher immediately sheltered the children, locked them in the class.” One of the victims was of French nationality, the French foreign ministry said. “Our staff and embassy in Belgrade are making active efforts to provide their full support to our young compatriot’s family at this difficult time,” ministry said in a statement.
Gun violence in schools is extremely rare in Serbia, where purchasing a firearm requires a special permit. Authorities later identified the suspect as Kosta Kecmanovic, a 13-year-old student, saying he was armed with two pistols — one in his backpack and one that he used.