A 14-year-old boy described as a “quiet and good pupil” has killed at least nine people, eight of which were children, after opening fireon his teacher, his fellow pupils and a security guard in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. The seventh grader, who police have identified by his initials, K.K, fired several shots from his father’s gun at the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in the capital on Wednesday morning. Footage released on social media purports to show the teenage shooter being arrested swiftly after the incident and escorted to the back of a police car with a black cloth draped over his head.
Dozens of police vehicles rushed to the scene in the minutes following the 8.40am local time attack in the central district of Belgrade.
Domestic reports said terrified parents have been returning to the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school to ensure their children are safe.
Milan Milosevic, the father of a young girl attending the school, said “no one could tell me anything at first” about the whereabouts of his daughter hen he arrived.
He said: “I asked where is my child but no one could tell me.
“Then she called and we found out she was out.”
The 14-year-old shooter, identified by his initials K.K, was arrest with a black cloth over his face (Image: GETTY )
Young pupils were left horrified by the fatal attack as they gathered outside the school (Image: GETTY )
Mr Milosevic told broadcaster N1: “She managed to escape. [The boy] …first shot the teacher and then he started shooting randomly.”
He added: “I saw the security guard lying under the table. I saw two girls with blood on their shirts. They say he [the shooter] was quiet and a good pupil. He recently joined their class.”
A girl who attends a high school adjacent to Vladislav Ribnikar told state TV RTS: “I saw kids running out from the school, screaming. Parents came, they were in panic. Later I heard three shots.”
Serbian media have reported that eight children and the guard were killed in the shooting, while BNO News said a further seven, including the teacher, were being treated for injuries.
Concerned parents rushed to the school in central Belgrade to find their children (Image: GETTY )
Children wait in front of the Vladislav Ribnikar school after shooting in Belgrade (Image: AP )
The student, who was identified only by her initials, E.M, because of her age, described the suspect as a “quiet guy” who “looked nice”.
The student added: “He was having good grades, but we didn’t know much about him.
“He was not so open with everybody. Surely I wasn’t expecting this to happen.”
A girl who attends a high school adjacent to Vladislav Ribnikar told state TV RTS: “I saw kids running out from the school, screaming. Parents came, they were in panic. Later I heard three shots.”
Serbian media have reported that eight children and the guard were killed in the shooting, while BNO News said a further seven, including the teacher, were being treated for injuries.
A concerned citizen tries to gleam information about the fatal shooting from a police officer (Image: AP )
Mass shootings in Serbia and in the wider Balkan region are extremely rare and none has been reported in schools in recent years.
In the last mass shooting, a Balkan war veteran in 2013 killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.
Experts, however, have repeatedly warned of the number of weapons left over in the country after the wars of the 1990s.
They also note that decades-long instability stemming from the conflicts as well as the ongoing economic hardship could trigger such outbursts.
Police have sealed off the blocks around the school, in the centre of Belgrade.
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