The shooting that shocked all of Serbia on Wednesday and which has resulted in nine fatalities, of which eight minors, was an attack planned for weeks, according to the police. The incident left six children injured, two critical, in addition to the teacher who was also hospitalized.
The Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, addressed the citizens yesterday lamenting “the most difficult day in the modern history of our country.” However, the attacker, a 13-year-old boy who studied at the Vladislav Ribnikar school where the catastrophe occurred, will not go to jail. Being under fourteen years of age, he is not considered criminally responsible. His parents, on the other hand, have already been arrested and are in judicial custody.
Despite ongoing investigations, the police have not determined what prompted young K.K., a seventh grade student, to shoot his classmates and school staff. We do know, however, that the teenager had been the victim of bullying, as confirmed by the Serbian Minister of Education, Branko Ruzic.
According to the statements of K.K.’s classmates, he was a “quiet boy” and a “good student”, and there is no record that he was the protagonist of any episode of violence. This information is also confirmed by the ‘Stanković’ music school, where the assailant took extracurricular classes. Speaking to Nova.rs, the music teacher assured that K.K. he was “an exceptional student, extremely talented.”
In any case, the shooting was not the result of a flash of rage. The young attacker had been planning the assault for weeks. The police found on his desk a map of the school with the entrances and exits of the building and a list of the students he had to shoot as a priority.
On the sheet, which was leaked in the local media, it can be seen that he drew the school “Vladislav Ribnikar” and divided the classrooms of the building by floor.
As confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior, the attacker used two of his father’s weapons, both of which had legal permits. It is also known that he was fond of hunting and that he had gone to practice at a shooting range more than once with his father before the murders.
Was the timing of the assault also designed to avoid being prosecuted? They are just guesses. For now, President Vucic announced in his speech on Wednesday that K.K., who was arrested yesterday after the shooting, will not be released and that he will be admitted to a mental health center set up for him.
The impossibility of convicting the young K.K. it has sparked controversy in Serbia as it seems to prevent the country from making the catharsis it needs. Aleksandar Vucic has not missed the opportunity and has announced several measures, including the proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 years.
A debate that has also inflamed the spirits among the most conservative sectors of the parliamentary arc, such as the right-wing leader Bosko Obradovic. Obradovic assured on N1 television that Serbia is going through a “crisis of values” and that we must bet on tradition with measures such as the cancellation of reality shows and other controversial content.
