Three days of mourning in Serbia from May 5 to 7, attacker planned liquidation of children and teacher for a month

(Patria) - The Government of Serbia has decided that May 5, 6, and 7 will be days of mourning in Serbia.

"It is necessary to allow families to bid farewell to their loved ones in peace and for all those who see in this, and I will call it political scavenging, to look in the mirror and think and allow at least a decent period to assess such a tragedy from all aspects and for the entire system to show if it has, and I am sure it has, the potential to provide answers to all these challenges," said Minister of Education Branko Ružić, who expressed condolences to the families of the victims, stating that no one can bring children back to their parents.

He thanked the teachers and all those who tried to prevent the tragedy for their bravery.

"It is unimaginable when you see those scenes of how the children who experienced fear and the teachers who tried to prevent the tragedy and protect what is most sacred to them, which is children," said Ružić.

At a press conference, the head of the Belgrade police, Veselin Milić, said that they are silent in the face of a huge human tragedy that causes sadness and pain, and obliges members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to inform about the real factual situation. He said that the attacker, Kosta Kecmanović, himself called the police and reported the shooting, after which the police arrested him. 

"Eight students, seven girls and one boy, died. Six more students and a teacher were injured. I have been to thousands of crime scenes, this is unprecedented in Serbian society and it is probably a question for the entire system what we need to do," said a member of the MUP RS. 

He said that this crime was planned for a month.

"The child K.K. had been planning this for a long time, he chose today because his class had history first and was closest to the entrance. He took his father's pistol and immediately shot the security guard, after which he turned to the student on duty and shot her. He had four Molotov cocktails in his bag. He continued to the history classroom where he shot the teacher. As he said, he determined priority targets and had a list of children he wanted to liquidate," said Milić. 

The list included more children from different departments and classes with precisely determined numbers of who would be the first victim.

Minister of Health Danica Grujičić expressed her condolences to the parents who lost their children today and thanked the ambulance workers who responded to the scene.

The Institute for Mental Health will publish a phone number where everyone who needs psychological help can call, the minister said.

"For 40 years of work experience, this is perhaps my most terrible experience as a doctor and a human being," said Grujičić.

Speaking about the condition of the injured, the minister said that six children and a teacher are in healthcare institutions in Belgrade – three children in Tiršova, four patients in the Emergency Center.

Two boys who sustained injuries to their lower extremities in Tiršova are stable and out of danger, while the girl who sustained a gunshot wound to the head is critical.

"Everything that could be done has been done, but the damage is great and they are still fighting for her life," said the minister.

There are three children in the Emergency Center, a girl with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and injuries to her hands. She is in stable condition. A boy who sustained a leg injury is in the operating room.

"A boy who sustained a gunshot wound through the chest and neck has a spinal injury, the 5th and 6th cervical vertebrae, and he is the most severely injured. The surgery is still ongoing, he will need multiple interventions, some now, some later," said the minister.

The teacher is in critical condition. She has injuries to her pelvis and arms and is still in the operating room.