Zagreb, Croatia — An alleged gunman in a mass shooting at nursing home In Croatia he faces 11 criminal charges, including murder, after being accused of killing six people, including his own mother, and wounding many more, police said Tuesday.
The massacre shocked Daruvar, a spa town of about 8,500 people in central Croatia, and shocked the entire European Union country, where such shootings have been rare despite many weapons left over from war in the 1990s.
“The 51-year-old man entered the Daruvar nursing home, where he opened fire with the intention of killing several people,” police said in a statement.
The statement said he “committed 11 criminal acts,” including murder and attempted murder. She said the charges also include feminicide, which refers to the killing of women because of their gender.
Police charges are the first step in the criminal process against a suspect. Prosecutors have yet to open a formal investigation; that would precede the filing of an indictment that could lead to a trial.
Monday’s shooting raised questions about gun control in a country where many people kept their guns after the end of the 1991-95 war, one of the conflicts sparked by the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Croatia became a member of the EU in 2013.
“The man was illegally armed and many people knew it. He should have been taken away from that weapon,” stated President Zoran Milanovic. “He should have been prevented and detained.”
The city of Daruvar declared Wednesday a day of mourning for the victims, five nursing home residents and one employee.
“It’s been a sleepless night, we’re all in shock,” said Mayor Damir Lnenicek.
Details about the motive remained sketchy. Police said the suspect is a former war combatant. Croatian media reported that he was angry over money problems, including bills for the nursing home where his mother had lived for the past 10 years.
Many Croatian veterans have suffered war trauma and suicide rates among ex-combatants were high for years in the postwar period. More than 10,000 people died in the war that broke out after Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
The suspect in the shooting was taken to a detention center in the regional center of Bjelovar, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from the capital, Zagreb, officials and media reports said. Handcuffed and walking with the help of a crutch, the suspect was taken to the Bjelovar police station for questioning later on Tuesday.
The shooting occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Monday. Five people died at the scene and another died later in a hospital.
The gunman left the nursing home after opening fire and headed to a nearby bar where he was arrested.
Photos published Tuesday by Croatian media showed a black flag hanging outside the nursing home, a small house with a manicured garden, now riddled with bullets. The remaining residents have been moved to another facility.
Doctors at the nearby hospital where the wounded were treated said they were in stable condition Tuesday and had been offered psychological help. The victims were between 80 and 90 years old, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said.
Police have said the alleged gunman faced complaints of disorderly conduct and domestic violence in the past, but they said no weapons were involved. He used an unregistered weapon, authorities said.
Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said police sent a team of experts from the capital, Zagreb, to review police conduct.
Two mass murders last year In neighboring Serbia, including one at a primary school, they left 19 dead and 18 injured.
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