(ANSA-AFP) - BELGRADE, 09 GEN - One of the four people who
were critically injured in a mass shooting in Montenegro on New
Year's Day died on Thursday, medical officials said, taking the
death toll to 13. A 45-year-old man opened fire at a tavern in
the southern town of Cetinje on January 1. Twelve people were
pronounced dead at the scene, including two children. Four
others were wounded. "The 40-year-old patient succumbed to
severe injuries sustained in the tragic event in Cetinje," the
Clinical Centre of Montenegro -- the main hospital in the
capital Podgorica -- said in a statement. The shooting has
sparked public outrage and protests in the tiny Balkan country,
with thousands demonstrating in Cetinje and Podgorica in recent
days. Protesters have slammed the slow response time of law
enforcement, after reports said the gunman moved unopposed
across five different locations for over half an hour during the
shooting spree. The gunman was also known to have possessed
illegal weapons, including firearms that were seized from him in
2022. The assailant later died after shooting himself in the
head when he was surrounded by authorities following an
hours-long manhunt. Montenegrin authorities have since
introduced measures to curb the number of illegal weapons along
with tougher penalties for unlawful possession of guns, stricter
conditions for acquiring firearms, and a campaign encouraging
owners to voluntarily surrender their illegal weapons.
(ANSA-AFP).
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