A court in Serbia has recently handed down sentences to the parents of a 13-year-old boy who carried out a mass shooting at a primary school in Belgrade. The boy’s father received a 14-year, six-month prison sentence for child neglect and endangering public safety, while his mother was sentenced to three years for neglect. The parents were accused of failing to secure their firearms, which the boy used in the attack that resulted in the deaths of nine students and a school guard. The shooter, Kosta Kecmanovic, was too young to face trial under Serbian law.
The tragic incident took place on May 3, 2023, at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in central Belgrade, shocking the nation as they had never experienced a mass school shooting before. The boy reportedly armed himself with his father’s guns, opened fire in the school hallway, and continued shooting in a classroom. The parents were promptly detained after the massacre, with authorities holding them responsible for not preventing their son from accessing the firearms. Despite the severity of the incident, the shooter himself called the police after the shooting, calmly explaining his actions. He has since been held in a specialized institution and testified during his parent’s trial, which was closed to the public except for the reading of the verdict.
The parents’ lawyer, Irina Borovic, expressed her intention to appeal the verdicts, citing the immense public pressure and high expectations surrounding the case as factors influencing the outcome. However, some families of the victims of the shooting remain dissatisfied, feeling that no one was held accountable for the murder of nine children. One such parent, Ninela Radicevic, expressed this sentiment, highlighting the ongoing grief and trauma experienced by those affected by the tragic event. In addition to the parents’ sentences, a shooting instructor associated with the boy’s practice range was also convicted of giving false testimony and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Following the school shooting, another mass shooting took place near Belgrade the next day, further shocking the nation. In this separate incident, a 21-year-old individual opened fire with an automatic rifle, resulting in the deaths of nine people and injuries to 12 others. The perpetrator, Uroš Blažić, was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison. These consecutive mass shootings sparked widespread protests and a national crackdown on illegal gun ownership in Serbia, prompting authorities to address the issue of gun control and public safety. The tragic events have created a ripple effect throughout the country, prompting discussions on mental health, firearm regulations, and the responsibilities of parents in preventing such incidents in the future.
