The court in Serbia convicted the parents of a teenage boy who committed a school shooting, sentencing the father to 14 years and six months in prison for grave acts against public safety and child neglect, and the mother to three years for child neglect. The shooter, identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, was too young to face trial under Serbian law. The shooting took place at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in central Belgrade, where Kecmanovic used his father’s guns to open fire on his fellow pupils, resulting in the death of nine children and a school guard, and injuring six others. The parents were charged for failing to keep the weapons out of reach of their son, and the mother was acquitted on charges of illegal possession of weapons.
The couple’s lawyer expressed that the verdict was not a surprise due to the immense public pressure and high expectations surrounding the case. However, Ninela Radicevic, who lost her daughter in the shooting, expressed dissatisfaction by stating that no one was held responsible for the murder of the nine children and the school guard. The shooter, who calmly called the police after the incident, has been held in a specialized institution and testified at his parents’ trial, which was closed to the public except for the reading of the verdicts. In addition to the parents, a shooting instructor was also convicted and sentenced to 15 months in prison for false testimony related to the case.
The school shooting was followed by another mass killing in villages outside Belgrade, where a 21-year-old individual took an automatic rifle and opened fire at multiple locations, resulting in the death of nine people and the injury of 12. The perpetrator, Uros Blazic, was sentenced to 20 years in prison earlier this month, highlighting the serious consequences of gun violence in the region. These back-to-back shootings triggered street protests and a crackdown on widespread illegal gun ownership in Serbia. The Balkan nation, which had never experienced mass school shootings before, was shocked by the incidents and the impact on the community.
The court’s decision to convict the parents for their negligence in allowing their son access to firearms highlights the importance of responsible gun ownership and measures to prevent such tragedies in the future. The shootings in Belgrade served as a wake-up call for the country to address issues related to mental health, access to firearms, and the safety of children in schools. The families of the victims continue to seek justice and accountability for the loss of their loved ones, emphasizing the need for stricter gun control laws and improved mental health support services in Serbia. The aftermath of these tragic events has sparked a national conversation on the root causes of gun violence and the steps needed to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
