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At least 10 killed in mass shooting in Montenegro, suspect kills himself

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At least 10 killed in mass shooting in Montenegro, suspect kills himself

Suspected gunman in shooting rampage in town of Cetinje shoots himself in the head after being surrounded by police.

Two children were among at least 10 people killed in a mass shooting that started at a restaurant in the small town of Cetinje in Montenegro and continued at three different locations, authorities said.

A local man suspected of carrying out the shootings, identified by police as Aleksandar Martinovic, 45, was confirmed to have died early on Thursday morning after turning the gun on himself and dying from his injuries while being transported to hospital.

Police had surrounded the suspect near his home in Cetinje. When police commanded him “to lay down his weapon, he shot himself in the head”, the country’s police chief, Lazar Scepanovic, told reporters.

“An attempt was made to transport him to a clinical centre, but he succumbed to his injuries in the meantime,” he said.

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In a post on social media confirming that the suspected gunman had died, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said the mass killing had “shrouded our country in black”.

“This senseless act has caused immeasurable sadness and bitterness in each of us. There are no words of comfort,” Spajic said.

Montenegro’s national security council will now consider “all options” in the aftermath of the attack, including a complete ban on the possession of weapons, the prime minister said, adding the country will observe three days of national mourning.

A forensic technician speaks on the phone on a street near the scene where a gunman opened fire at a restaurant and killed several people in Cetinje, Montenegro, on January 1, 2025 [Stevo Vasiljevic/Reuters]

Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic told journalists that the two minors killed in the attacks, which started on Wednesday night, were children of the owner of the restaurant where the shooting spree began. The owner was also killed, he said.

The shooter had “killed members of his own family”, the minister said, adding that the suspect was thought to have been drinking heavily before the rampage.

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Four people seriously wounded in the attack were reported to be fighting for their lives in a hospital in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica.

The suspect, who media reports said had a history of illegal weapons possession and received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behaviour, had fled after the shootings and was at large in Cetinje, a small valley town surrounded by rugged hills some 38km (23.6 miles) west of Podgorica.

All the roads in and out of the town had been blocked as police swarmed the streets before surrounding the suspect near his home.

The mass shooting was the second gun rampage over the past three years in Cetinje, Montenegro’s historic capital. An attacker also killed 10 people, including two children, in August 2022 before he was shot and killed by a passerby, The Associated Press news agency reports.

Montenegro, which has a population of just over 620,000 people, is known for its gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.

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Organised crime and corruption are two major issues also plaguing Montenegro, which authorities have pledged to tackle under pressure from the European Union that the tiny nation aspires to join.

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Map: 3.8-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Las Vegas

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Map: 3.8-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Las Vegas

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Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Pacific time. The New York Times

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A minor, 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck in Nevada on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey. The earthquake prompted a flurry of chatter online, but no widespread damage was reported.

The temblor happened at 1:47 p.m. Pacific time about 7 miles northwest of Summerlin South, Nev., data from the agency shows.

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On social media, residents across the area described the earthquake jolting their homes and rattling windows and doors. Some said they heard the boom-like sound of an explosion, while others said they didn’t feel anything or described a small disturbance that lacked any significant oomph.

Brian Cohen was at home putting away groceries in Lone Mountain, about a half hour west of the Las Vegas strip, just before 2 p.m. when he felt the entire house rattle intensely for about three seconds.

“The whole house felt like it was lifting up,” said Mr. Cohen, who is in his 60s. He went outside and saw a neighbor, who also reported feeling the jolt.

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Mr. Cohen, who has lived in the Las Vegas area since 1994, said this wasn’t his first earthquake. “This one is the strongest one I felt,” he said, adding there was no damage to his home.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Aftershocks forecast

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While individual earthquakes can’t be predicted, geologists can calculate the chances that more earthquakes will follow an initial quake using statistical models of past events.

For this earthquake, it is unlikely — about a 4 chance — that a larger quake will strike the area in the next day, according to the U.S.G.S. Here is the forecast for aftershocks of other sizes:

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3.0 mag. or stronger

Perhaps

26%

4.0 mag. or stronger

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Unlikely

5%

5.0 mag. or stronger

Unlikely

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Source: United States Geological Survey. Data is as of June 4 at 1:57 p.m. Pacific time.  Chance of aftershocks typically decreases over time. Forecast quake counts are estimates. William B. Davis, Joel Eastwood and John Keefe/The New York Times

The rate of aftershocks typically decreases over time, and forecasts are available for the next week, month and year.

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Aftershocks detected

Subsequent quakes have been reported in the same area. Such temblors are typically aftershocks caused by minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.

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Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles

Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.

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When quakes and aftershocks occurred

 All times are Pacific time. The New York Times

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Sources: United States Geological Survey (epicenter, aftershocks, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density) | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Pacific time. Shake data is as of Thursday, June 4 at 5:25 p.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Thursday, June 4 at 8:23 p.m. Eastern.