On December 12, a Serbian court sentenced Uroš Blažić to 20 years in prison for a mass shooting in May 2023, in which nine people were killed and 12 injured. The verdict was reported by AP, citing law enforcement sources.
The court emphasized that Blažić “was fully aware of his actions and their illegality” and carried out the killings and injuries with “relentless cruelty.” The massacre occurred just one day after another tragic event—a school shooting in central Belgrade where a teenage boy killed nine classmates and a security guard using his father’s handgun. This marked Serbia’s first-ever school shooting.
The teenage school shooter, being below the age of criminal responsibility, has been placed in a specialized psychiatric facility. Meanwhile, his parents are facing trial in Belgrade.
Reports at the time revealed that the teenager had meticulously planned his attack, creating sketches of classrooms and compiling a list of intended victims.
These two tragedies, occurring so closely together, shocked Serbia and led to increased scrutiny of gun control and public safety measures in the country.
