Daily Times

Serbian police said Friday they had arrested a man suspected of killing eight people and injuring at least 14 others in the country’s second mass shooting this week, following a manhunt through the night. The back-to-back shootings have left Serbians horrified, spurring vows from President Aleksandar Vucic to launch a massive crackdown to remove hundreds of thousands of guns from the Balkan country. The latest shooting erupted around midnight near Mladenovac — about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of the capital Belgrade — when a 21-year-old gunman armed with an automatic weapon opened fire from a moving vehicle, according to state-run RTS television.

The shooting spree spread across three separate villages in the area. It prompted a manhunt through the night as police combed the woods near Belgrade, with a helicopter circling overhead with a spotlight appearing to search for the fugitive gunman. “Following a wide search, police arrested U.B.,” police said in a statement, using only the suspect’s initials.

“He is suspected to have killed eight and injured 14 people overnight. The injured are hospitalized.” The police said the man had been arrested near the central city of Kragujevac — roughly 90 kilometers from the scene of the attacks. According to RTS, the suspect was arrested at the home of a relative and was in possession of four hand grenades and a large amount of illegal weapons and ammunition.

The incident happened less than 48 hours after the worst school shooting in Serbia’s recent history, when a 13-year-old killed nine people, including eight fellow students, at a school in downtown Belgrade on Wednesday. The shootings have left the country in a state of deep shock, with thousands flocking to makeshift memorial sites while others have queued to donate blood.