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Sanski Most school shooting

Coordinates: 44°46′4″N 16°39′27″E / 44.76778°N 16.65750°E / 44.76778; 16.65750
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Sanski Most school shooting
Map
LocationSanski Most Gymasium, Sanski Most, Una-Sana Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates44°46′4″N 16°39′27″E / 44.76778°N 16.65750°E / 44.76778; 16.65750
DateAugust 21, 2024
c. 10:15 a.m.
Attack type
School shooting, mass shooting, mass murder, triple murder, attempted suicide
WeaponAutomatic rifle
Deaths3
Injured1 (the perpetrator)
PerpetratorMehmed Vukalić[1]
MotiveUnder investigation, possibly retaliation for personal disputes

On August 21, 2024, a school shooting occurred inside the Sanski Most Gymnasium,[2] located in Sanski Most, Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the perpetrator opened fire on three school employees. The shooter was identified as 50-year-old Mehmed Vukalić, a man working as a janitor, armed with an automatic rifle.[3] After the shooting, he attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest, but was captured while doing so and taken into medical custody. Vukalić is currently in a non-life-threatening situation, and being held at the University Clinical Center of the Republika Srpska in Banja Luka.[4] The incident is currently the deadliest school shooting in Bosnian history.

Background

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Small arms and weapons have been frequently trafficked in the Balkans since the Yugoslav Wars. Per a 2010 study executed by the United Nations Development Programme, there were around 750,000 illegally owned weapons in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[2] Mass shootings are a relatively rare occurrence in the Balkans, but they had lately seen a small rise, including the Daruvar shooting in neighboring Croatia and the Mladenovac and Smederevo shootings and Belgrade school shooting, both in neighboring Serbia.[4]

Some school employees reported that the suspect had entered into disputes with the school management[2] and was suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in the Bosnian War.[4]

Victims

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The deceased victims were identified as:[2]

  • Nijaz Halilović, school director
  • Gordana Midžan, English teacher
  • Nisveta Kljunić, secretary

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Ovo je domar koji je ubio direktora, profesorku i sekretaricu u gimnaziji u Sanskom Mostu (Foto)". Nova.rs (in Serbian). 2024-08-21.
  2. ^ a b c d "Three teachers killed in Bosnia school shooting". euronews. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  3. ^ "School employee kills at least 3 people in a Bosnian town, police say". AP News. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  4. ^ a b c "Three staff killed in shooting in school in Bosnia". SWI swissinfo.ch. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2024-08-21.