At least 12 people, including two children, were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting on Wednesday that followed a bar brawl in a western Montenegrin city, officials said.

Police identified the attacker as Aco Martinović. The country’s interior minister, Danilo Šaranović, later told the state broadcaster RTCG that the 45-year-old died from injuries en route to hospital after shooting himself.

The gunman killed the owner of the bar in the city of Cetinje, the bar owner’s children and his own family members, Šaranović said at a news conference.

“The level of rage and brutality shows that sometimes such people ... are even more dangerous than members of organised criminal gangs,” he said.

Martinović was at the bar throughout the day with other guests when the brawl erupted, said the police commissioner, Lazar Šćepanović. He said that Martinović then went home, brought back a weapon and opened fire at about 5.30pm.

“He killed four people at the bar, and then continued shooting at three more locations,” said Šćepanović. “He tried to take the lives of four more people, and then fled with the vehicle he was using, which we have found.”

He said the suspect had received a suspended sentence in 2005 for violent behaviour and had appealed against his latest conviction for illegal possession of weapons. Montenegrin media have reported that he was known for erratic and violent behaviour.

The president, Jakov Milatović, said he was “shocked and stunned” by the tragedy. “Instead of holiday joy … we have been gripped by sadness over the loss of innocent lives,” he said on X.

The prime minister, Milojko Spajić, went to the hospital where the wounded were being treated and announced three days of mourning. “This is a terrible tragedy that has affected us all,” he said. “All police teams are out.”

Montenegro, which has a population of about 620,000, is known for its gun culture and many people traditionally have weapons.

Wednesday’s shooting was the second such firearms incident over the past three years in Cetinje. An attacker also killed 10 people – including two children – in August 2022 before he was shot and killed by a passerby.

RTCG, which published Martinović’s photo on its website, reported that he was known for erratic behaviour and had been detained in the past for illegal possession of weapons.

The report said he went home to get his gun and came back to the bar where he opened fire and killed and wounded several people. He then went to another site where he killed the bar owner’s children and a woman, the report added.

Police appealed to residents to remain calm and stay indoors, ruling out a clash between criminal gangs.

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