According to the Tanyug agency, the incident happened shortly after the start of classes. At around 8:40 a.m. local time (i.e. after the first lesson), a seventh-grader opened fire with his father’s pistol, which he had brought to school. The goalkeeper who tried to prevent the tragedy died of his injuries. Eight students in the hallway were killed by the attacker’s bullets, and six other children and a history teacher were injured. Doctors say two of the injured children and the teacher are in serious condition. The girl, who was shot in the head, was successfully operated on, but is still in intensive care. Another boy was injured in the neck and the teacher was shot in the stomach. The lives of the other victims are not in danger.
The assailant was arrested by police who arrived at the scene. As reported to the Serbian Interior Ministry, all available patrols were sent to the school where the shooting took place. “Police immediately arrived at the scene and arrested the suspect, a minor, seventh grader,” the department said.
The teenager’s possible motives have yet to be revealed. On the order of the prosecution, doctors will take a blood test of the student to determine if he was under the influence of alcohol, drugs or other substances at the time of the crime. The only known adult conflict between a teenager and his peers occurred two years ago. However, he went to see a psychologist, a source close to the investigation told local media.
A seventh-grader carefully prepared an attack on a school in Belgrade: he brought pistols and Molotov cocktails, painted an action plan for himself
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p class=””>As Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milic said at a special press conference, “according to the data collected so far, he has been planning this event for a long time.” According to him, the teenager brought his father’s pistols and even Molotov cocktails prepared by him from home. Additionally, the attacker had pre-determined priority targets. Speaking of which, Milic showed the found papers of the attacker, where the plan of action was described in detail. “The sketch looks a bit like something out of a video game or a horror movie,” he added.
Education Minister Branko Ruzic called the incident “the biggest tragedy in Serbia and in our education system in recent history”. “The government has decided to declare three days of mourning beginning on Friday May 5 and ending on Sunday May 7,” he said. “From tomorrow (Thursday) classes will begin with a minute of silence,” added the minister. “The harmful effects of the internet and video games are clear,” Ruzic said.
At the same time, he declined to comment on the possibility that a conflict between the shooter and other teenagers caused the drama.
Ivana Stevanovic, director of the Institute for Criminological and Sociological Research, believes that this is not the last school shooting that Serbia will face. She drew attention to the large number of similar tragedies that occur in the United States and are regularly reported by the media, which she says impact the minds of teenagers.
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