A shooter opened fire in a bar and another site in the Montenegrin city of Cetinje on Wednesday, killing at least 7 people, including two children, police and local media reported. The assailant is still on the run.
Police dispatched special troops to search for the armed shooter in Cetinje, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of the capital Podgorica.
A statement said the man opened fire in the bar and fled the scene armed. Police identified the shooter only by his initials A.M. and said he was 45 years old.
Police gave no other details. The state RTCG television said seven people were killed in the shooting that followed a bar brawl.
"Armed, he (shooter) left the object and fled,” the statement said.
The RTCG report identified the man as Aco Martinovic, saying he was known for erratic behavior and had been detained in the past for illegal possession of weapons. The TV published the reported suspect's photo on its website.
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.
Authorities did not immediately provide a number of fatalities.
Montenegro's police sent special units to the area and urged people to remain inside their homes.
"All available police units are on the ground, undertaking activities within their jurisdiction," to apprehend the suspect, Montenegro's Police Directorate said in a statement.
Mass shootings are comparatively rare in Montenegro which has a deeply rooted gun culture.
In 2022, 11 people, including two children and a gunman, were killed in a mass shooting in Montenegro, and six others were injured.
Despite strict gun laws, the Western Balkans remain awash with illegal weapons dating back to World War I.
