Velika Ivanča shooting
A spree shooting occurred in the Serbian village of Velika Ivanča in the early hours of 9 April 2013.[2][3][4] Fourteen people (including the gunman) were killed and one, the gunman's wife, was injured. Police identified the gunman as 59-year-old Ljubiša Bogdanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Љубиша Богдановић), a relative of many of the victims. Bogdanović died of his injuries on 11 April 2013.[5] The massacre was the deadliest in the country since the end of the Yugoslav Wars.[6]
Velika Ivanča shooting | |
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The Mladenovac municipality in Serbia, the location of the attack | |
Location | Velika Ivanča, Mladenovac, Serbia |
Date | 9 April 2013 05:00–05:30 CEST (03:00–03:30 UTC)[1] |
Attack type | Mass murder, familicide, murder-suicide |
Weapons | CZ-88 9mm pistol |
Deaths | 14 (including the perpetrator) |
Injured | 1 |
Perpetrator | Ljubiša Bogdanović |
Motive | Unclear |
Attack
At approximately 05:00 CEST (03:00 UTC),[4] Bogdanović shot and killed his 83-year-old mother Dobrila and his 42-year-old son Branko, and wounded his wife Javorka with a shot to the head in their home.[7] The gunman then entered four neighboring houses, killing five men, five women, and a two-year-old child, most of whom were shot in the head while they were sleeping.[8][9][10] The weapon used was reported to be a CZ-88 9mm pistol.[4][11] The killing spree ended when police arrived at the scene after a call from Javorka Bogdanović.[12] They found Ljubiša Bogdanović in the backyard of his house. He committed suicide, shooting himself in the head.[4][13]
Twelve of the victims died at the scene, and one victim died later that day at a Belgrade hospital.[14] Bogdanović and his wife were taken to hospital, each in critical condition.[6][14] Ljubiša Bogdanović died from his injuries two days later.[5]
Fatalities
- Ljubiša Bogdanović, 60, gunman[5]
- Branko Bogdanović, 42, son of Ljubiša Bogdanović[15]
- Dobrila Bogdanović, 83, mother of Ljubiša Bogdanović[15]
- Mihajlo Despotović, 61, cousin of Ljubiša Bogdanović
- Milena Despotović, 61, wife of Mihajlo Despotović
- Goran Despotović, 23, grandson of Mihajlo and Milena Despotović[16]
- Jovana Despotović, 21, wife of Goran Despotović
- David Despotović, 2, son of Goran and Jovana Despotović[17]
- Ljubina Ješić, 64[18]
- Miloš Ješić, 48, son of Ljubina Ješić[15]
- Velimir Mijailović, 78[15][18]
- Olga Mijailović, 79, wife of Velimir Mijailović[15]
- Danica Stekić, 78[15]
- Dragana Stekić, 50, daughter of Danica Stekić, cousin of Ljubiša Bogdanović[15]
Perpetrator
Ljubiša Bogdanović | |
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Born | 4 May 1953 |
Died | 11 April 2013 59)[5] Belgrade, Serbia | (aged
Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot[5] |
Nationality | Serbian |
Occupation | Former factory worker |
Spouse(s) | Javorka Bogdanović (wife, wounded) |
Children | Branko Bogdanović (son, slain) Slavica Bogdanović Zorica Lazić[19] |
Parent(s) | Dobrila Bogdanović (mother, slain) |
Ljubiša Bogdanović (4 March 1953 – 11 April 2013) was born in Velika Ivanča.[20] His father committed suicide when he was a child, and he and his brother Radmilo were brought up by their grandfather Obrad, who was said to have been extremely strict and beat him when he made any mistakes. He was a Serb veteran of the Croatian War of Independence, having served for four and a half months,[4][21] and had held a firearm permit since 1981.[7][21] Bogdanović and his son Branko had been employees of a Slovenian wood-processing factory in Mladenovac until 2012 when both lost their jobs.[22][23][24]
Some residents described Bogdanović as a "quiet guy". However, it was also said that he had a domestic violence history[25][26] and had a dispute with his son about his relationship with a girl of whom Ljubiša Bogdanović did not approve.[27]
Although Bogdanović was not known to have suffered from mental illness, his family had a history of such illness. Besides Bogdanović's father committing suicide, his cousin and uncle suffered from mental illnesses, the latter being treated and eventually dying in a mental institution.[28]
Response
A special meeting of the Serbian cabinet was called in response to the shooting.[29] The government declared 10 April 2013 to be a day of mourning.[30]
References
- Gunman Kills 13 People in Serbian Village, The New York Times (9 April 2013)
- "Thirteen dead in Serbian shooting". Deutsche Welle. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- "Serbia shooting rampage kills 13". Guardian. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- "Thirteen dead in Serbia gun rampage". BBC. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- Serb Who Killed 13 in Rampage Dies, ABC News (April 11, 2013)
- "Serbia's worst peacetime shooting: 13 killed, including women and child". RT News. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- Стравичан злочин у Великој Иванчи, RTS (9 April 2013)
- Subasic, Katarina (9 April 2013). "13 people, including child, shot dead in Serbian village". Live Mint. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- "Man enters houses, kills 13 at close range, including child". CNN. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- "Gunman Kills 13 Relatives, Neighbors near Belgrade". Novinite. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- Police director: Motive for shooting spree unknown Archived 13 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine, B92 (9 April 2013)
- Ovana Gec; Dusan Stojanovic (9 April 2013). "Serbia Shooting Spree Leaves 13 Dead, Including 1 Child". Huffington Post. Velica Ivanca. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- Masakr kod Mladenovca: Ubio sina i još 12 komšija, pa pucao u sebe i suprugu, Blic (9 April 2013)
- "Serbia: Gunman Kills 13 In Shooting Spree". SKY News. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- NAJSTRAŠNIJI PRIZOR MASAKRA: Ubijena mlada majka sa detetom, Kurir (9 April 2013)
- MASAKR U VELIKOJ IVANČI: Nogom razvalio vrata da puca bebi u glavu!, Kurir (9 April 2013)
- Un forcené tue 13 personnes, Le Journal de Montréal (9 April 2013)
- Rođaci u šoku: Ubica nemilosrdno pucao u glavu dvogodišnjem dečaku, Blic (9 April 2013)
- Ubica masakr počeo rečima: Nama više života nema, Večernje novosti (9 April 2013)
- 13 people shot dead in village near Serbian capital, Belgrade, RTÉ (9 April 2013)
- Grulovic, Fedja (9 April 2013). "Man shoots dead 13 relatives and neighbors in Serb village". Reuters. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- "Man kills 13 people in village south of Belgrade". B92. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- "Balkan war veteran kills 13 in Belgrade shooting spree". Euronews. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- Smrtonosni trag masovnog ubice: Kako je Ljubiša Bogdanović zatro pet porodica, Blic (11 April 2013)
- Javorka, supruga ubice: Tukao me je često, Večernje novosti (10 April 2013)
- Vasovic, Aleksandar (12 April 2013). "Gunman who killed 13 in Serbia dies in hospital". Reuters. Belgrade. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
- Javorkin brat: Moj zet u kući bio tiranin, Večernje novosti (10 April 2013)
- 13 people killed in shooting spree in Serbia, The Detroit News (9 April 2013)
- "Serbian shooting rampage: war veteran kills 13 relatives and neighbours". Guardian. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
- "Day of mourning observed in Serbia after mass shooting". 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.