Serbians left aghast in aftermath of double mass shootings

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) — Shock has descended upon Dubona, a Serbian village about an hour from the capital Belgrade, as residents mourn eight victims of a mass shooting.

Uros Blazic, a 21-year-old resident of the nearby town Mladenovac, randomly sprayed bullets from his car after having an argument in Dubona late on Thursday, injuring 14 people besides the eight he killed.

The drive-by shootings began some 42 kilometers (26 miles) south of Belgrade and continued in two neighboring villages, including Dubona, where he returned after picking up his automatic rifle from his home in Mladenovac.

Rushing to the scenes of the shootings, Anadolu witnessed the traces of shooting, which were visible at every step, including blood splattered on the ground.

The neighbors and relatives of those were killed were also there, mourning the loss of their loved ones.

Stefan Nikolic, a local in Dubona, told Anadolu that no one thought such an attack could occur in the town or other places in the country.

"Unfortunately, it happened. What has occured should never ever happen again. God forbid, this is not good for anything, not for Serbia, not for anything, not for Europe, not for anything, he's killed a lot of children, it's scary," said Nikolic.

A police officer and his sister were among the victims of Blazic, who Nikolic said is the son of an army general.

"His father was in the general staff, a general, he probably took the weapon from his father ... We've been in chaos since yesterday. It's frightening. We demand the president step up and (bring) a stricter law, that everything is searched. Unfortunately, there are many illegal weapons in Serbia," said Nikolic.

Expressing his sorrow for the deaths of the victims, Tikomir Pavlovic, whose home was on the route of the shooter, said he couldn't even leave his yard when he heard the gunshots.

"I heard a burst fired one after the other every four or five seconds. I was terrified. I went to the gate, and people gathered. I didn't go outside. I couldn't because of the anguish," said Pavlovic.

After a manhunt that lasted several hours, police arrested Blazic in Kragujevac early on Friday morning.

In a search of the house where the suspect was hiding, police found four hand grenades, several boxes of pistol bullets, several pieces of rifle ammunition, a frame for a handgun, two frames likely for an automatic rifle, an optics carrier, and an automatic rifle without no serial number.

Women and children are among the dead and injured.

Health Minister Danica Grujicic said 13 of the injured were in critical condition despite the intense efforts of the doctors.

"Because, with those gunshot injuries, you can never be sure what exactly was damaged," said Grujicic.

Ministry has requested blood donations for the injured.

President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday announced amendments to the law on arms and ammunition control and beefed up police patrols around schools in the wake of two mass shootings this week.

Less than 48 hours before Blazic's attack, Serbia was shaken by another mass shooting, this time in a school in the capital Belgrade.

Eight students and a security guard were killed by a teenage boy who opened fire.