At least six people have been killed in a care home shooting in Croatia, prompting calls for stricter gun control in the Balkan nation.
Five individuals, including an employee, were killed in the care home in Daruvar, while another person later died in hospital. Several others were injured, with four in critical condition.
The suspect, who fled the scene, was apprehended at a cafe while carrying unregistered firearms, Croatian media reported.
President Zoran Milanovic expressed shock at the “savage, unprecedented” attack, urging for more stringent gun ownership regulations.
“It is a frightening warning and a last call to all competent institutions to do more to prevent violence in society,” Milanovic wrote on social media.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic described the shooting as a “monstrous attack” and extended his condolences.
Authorities have yet to disclose the motive behind the massacre. Marin Piletic, Croatia’s Minister for Labour, Pensions, Families and Social Policy, revealed that the suspect’s mother had been a resident of the care home for a decade.
Unconfirmed local reports suggest the suspect was a war veteran with a history of disturbing public order and domestic abuse, according to Croatian national police chief Nikola Milina.
A shocked employee at the care home recounted, “I was stacking the medicines and then I heard gunshots. We hid under a bed, the boss escaped through the window, and then we fled through the window to the bookstore.”
The incident has deeply affected the 7,000 residents of Daruvar, a quiet spa town.
Mayor Damir Lnenicek said, “It’s hard for me to understand that this can happen in our town, country.” Around 20 people were in the nursing home at the time of the shooting.
Mass shootings are rare in Croatia, and Monday’s event ranks among the worst in the country’s history since its independence in 1991.
According to the 2017 Small Arms Survey, Croatia has 13.2 guns per 100 people, making it 25th in Europe for gun ownership.
This follows last year’s mass shootings in neighboring Serbia, which led to a significant weapons amnesty.
Source-BBC
