'War veteran' kills his mother and opens fire on other elderly residents at a Nursing home

Monday, July 22, 2024 - A 'war veteran' has been arrested for killing his mother and opening fire on elderly residents and staff at a nursing home in Croatia.

The gunman killed at least five people in the Balkan country, state media reported.

State broadcaster HRT said an unidentified gunman entered a nursing home in Daruvar - some 130 kilometres east of Zagreb and opened fire.

Several others were left wounded during the shooting and are now receiving medical assistance, HRT said.

The alleged suspect, born in 1973 according to local reports, then fled the scene before being later captured and arrested by police near a Daruvar cafe.

Croatian newspaper Jutarnji described the alleged shooter as a 'war veteran' who k!lled his mother along with other residents and staff.

The N1 regional television reported that the gunman was a former fighter from the 1991 to 1995 war in Croatia.

The police issued a statement following the shooting: 'Today, July 22, at 10:10am, the Bjelovar-Bilogor police department received a report that a male person using a firearm killed and wounded several people in a home for the elderly and infirm.

'The person who is linked to the crime is under the supervision of the police.

'An investigation will follow at the scene of the incident, led by the deputy of the county state attorney's office in Bjelovar.

It also assured that the suspect is now 'under police supervision'.

Shocked witnesses spoke to local media of the horrors they saw.

One told 24Sata: 'Look, I don't know what exactly happened. It's at a crossroads with me, it's mostly women in the home.

'I was there at that moment, I was walking down the street, I was 80 meters away and I heard the shots.

'At first, I thought that it was some kind of construction work - the neighbor told us, adding that these "shots" were heard at intervals of one to two minutes. The street is now full of police vehicles and ambulances'.

Another witness chillingly revealed the killer had gone to a nearby cafe before saying: 'Now I killed them all.

Daruvar is a spa town and municipality in Slavonia, with a population of 8,500 people and authorities are now investigating the motive behind the attack.

The city announced the tragedy this morning in a statement to its official Facebook page.

It read: 'We are shocked and in disbelief regarding this tragic event in the nursing home in Daruvar.

'We express our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. We are shocked by this unfortunate event.

'The attacker was caught. The investigation is ongoing'.