Serbian police arrest suspect in shooting, killing 8 people overnight

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Serbian police, after several hours of extensive manhunt, arrested a suspected shooter who overnight randomly fired from a car with an automatic rifle, killing eight people and injuring 14 others, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.

The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Uros Blazic, was apprehended in Kragujevac early Friday morning after an extensive search, the ministry said in a statement.

At least eight people were killed and 14 others were injured when the suspected shooter opened fire late Thursday in Mladenovac town, 42 kilometers (26 miles) south of the capital Belgrade.

Women and children are among the dead and injured, with seven in critical condition, local media reported.

The incident was initially reported to have killed 10 people, but an official statement confirmed only eight deaths. "He is suspected of killing eight people and wounding 14 with a firearm last night," according to the statement.

Blazic is accused of randomly firing an automatic rifle from a car, killing a police officer and his sister, as well as six other people who later died from their injuries, it said.

The suspect was apprehended about 62 kilometers (38 miles) from Mladenovac, where the heinous incident occurred.

The suspected shooter is being investigated, and the police will later clarify all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident, the ministry statement said.

Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic described the shooting near Mladenovac as a terrorist act.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has requested blood donations for the injured.

A large number of police officers wearing bulletproof vests and helmets have sealed off streets, and helicopters are flying over the two villages near Mladenovac, where the majority of the victims belonged to.

The latest incident occurs just one day after a school shooting.

On Wednesday, a teenage boy opened fire on a school in Belgrade, killing eight students and a security guard.

Another six students and a woman teacher were injured in the incident, which took place at Vladislav Ribnikar Primary School around 8.40 a.m. local time (0640GMT), according to the Interior Ministry.

The 14-year-old suspect, identified only by his initials, K.K., was arrested.​​​​​​​