Six killed and six injured in an asylum in Croatia

2024-07-22 19:12:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Six killed and six injured in an asylum in Croatia

Images from foreign media

Croatian police said a gunman entered a care home for the elderly in a quiet town in central Croatia on Monday and opened fire, killing six people and wounding six others. Croatia's prime minister said the victims were mostly in their 90s.

Croatia's police chief, Nikola Milina, said five people died instantly while another died in a hospital from his injuries. The suspect fled the scene, but police caught him at a cafe in Daruvar town, he said.

Five of the victims were residents of the care home and one was an employee, Mr. Milina.

The suspect is "under police surveillance", according to a statement from the regional police office. Authorities are investigating the motive for the attack.

Regional television N1 reported that the killer was born in 1973 and was a retired policeman who had taken part in the 1991-1995 war in Croatia. Officials said his mother, who had lived in the nursing home for the past 10 years, was among the dead.

Daruvar resident Zlatko Sutuga told Nova TV channel that he has known the attacker "since the time of the war".

"People say he was really aggressive, alcoholic and all that," Sutuga said. "His mother was inside, he allegedly came to kill her."

The attack left the city shocked and saddened. Daruvari is an Ilysh town in the municipality of Slavonia, with a population of 8,500.

The mayor of the municipality of Daruvar, Damir Lnenicek, told the N1 channel that everyone was shocked.

"What is the cause, the trigger, it is difficult to say. This will be determined by the investigations, he said, adding that the tragedy happened in a private house where there were about 20 people. He said it's a great house.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said he was "shocked" by the "wild and unprecedented crime".

"It is a dire warning and a final call for all responsible institutions to do more to prevent violence in society, including even stricter gun control," he said.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said he was "horrified and shocked".

Police officials said the attacker used an unregistered weapon. There are many weapons kept in private homes in Croatia since the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s./ Voa