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Girl wounded in Belgrade school shooting dies

By AFP - May 15,2023 - Last updated at May 15,2023

A Serbian police officer stands in front of weapons confiscated in the latest government disarmament action at a police depot near Smederevo, some 40km south of the capital Belgrade, on Sunday (AFP photo)

BELGRADE — A girl that was wounded in an elementary school shooting in Serbia earlier this month died on Monday, state television said, becoming the tenth victim of the unprecedented massacre.

On May 3, a 13-year-old allegedly brought his father’s gun to school and murdered eight of his fellow classmates and a security guard at an elementary school in downtown Belgrade.

Seven people were wounded — six students and one teacher — including the girl who was rushed to a Belgrade hospital and operated by a team of brain surgeons, according to local media.

Serbian ministry of health said the patient sustained “severe head injuries” and died despite doctors’ best efforts, state-run broadcaster RTS reported.

Her age was not disclosed. All other children shot in the massacre were in their early teens.

Minister of health Danica Grujicic expressed her “deepest condolences” to the family.

Less than 48 hours after the school shooting, the small Balkan country was shocked again with another massacre as a 21-year-old gunned down eight people in a village near the capital Belgrade.

Tens of thousands protested last week in Belgrade and other major cities, demanding the resignation of top officials and the curtailing of violence in the media.

Serbia has the highest level of gun ownership in Europe with more than 39 firearms for every 100 civilians, according to the Small Arms Survey project.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pledged to launch a large-scale disarmament plan, while police deployed officers to patrol around schools.

Alongside a crackdown on registered guns, a general amnesty was opened on May 8 in order to curb the number of illicit firearms. Officials said some 13,500 items were turned over since.

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