A drunken rampage led to one of the deadliest mass shootings in Montenegro’s history on New Year’s Day.
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Aleksandar Aco Martinovic, 45, killed 12 people before turning the gun on himself, Reuters reported.
Martinovic’s deadly rampage began at a tavern in the city of Cetinje in southern Montenegro, according to RTCG. After reportedly drinking alcohol “all day long,” the man got into an argument with a fellow patron.
He went home to retrieve a weapon before returning to the restaurant, where he shot and killed four of his victims, Lazar Scepanovic, Acting Director of the Police Administration, said.
Martinovic then went to five other locations, where he shot and killed eight more people, including his own sister, Zorica Vuletić, and two young brothers, aged 14 and 9.
“All the victims were his godfathers, friends… the motive is still unknown,” Scepanovic said, per Reuters.
After a 30-minute manhunt by police, Martinovic turned his gun on himself. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound near his home.
“When he saw that he was in a hopeless situation, he attempted suicide,” Scepanovic said.
Montenegro, a small Balkan nation with a population of just over 633,000, will observe three days of national mourning beginning on Thursday.
BBC reported that Prime Minister Milojko Spajic has called for a review of the country’s gun laws. He said the massacre has “shrouded our country in black.”
The nation’s security council is set to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday, Jan. 2. They will “urgently consider all options” to protect the public, including a complete ban on the possession of weapons.