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A Serbian court on Thursday convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison a young man who killed nine people and injured 12 in one of two mass killings last year that rocked the Balkan nation.
Uros Blazic, 21, picked up an automatic rifle on May 4, 2023 and opened fire in several locations in the villages of Dubona and Malo Orasje, south of Belgrade, shooting at random youths spending a night out. spring
Blazic was “aware of his actions and their illegality, and with violent and relentless behavior” killed and injured people, the judges said.
The mass killings in the vicinity shocked the country, which was accustomed to wars and crises, but where mass shootings were relatively rare. The tragedies later sparked a wave of street protests and a crackdown on widespread illegal gun ownership.
Blazic’s 20-year prison sentence is the maximum allowed under Serbian law for people under the age of 21. Blazic was 20 years old when he committed the crime.
Separately, the gunman’s father, Radisa Blazic, was also convicted of illegal possession of weapons used in the shooting and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Admits “Horrible Acts”
During his trial, the young Blazic said he could not explain what drove him to kill so many people. During closing arguments, he said he had felt victimized but there could be no justification for what he had done.
“I committed horrific acts and I deserve the harshest punishment,” he told the court. Serbian media have reported that Blazic, who had a police record, was known for violent outbursts and aggressive behavior before the shootings.
Parents and relatives of the victims were present in the Belgrade courtroom as the verdict was read. Many of them wept as they entered the courthouse Thursday morning, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the images of Blazic’s victims.
Blazic’s carnage came just a day after a teenager using his father’s gun killed nine classmates and a guard at an elementary school in central Belgrade in what was Serbia’s first school shooting.
The parents of the school shooting suspect have gone on trial in Belgrade. The suspect himself was under the age of criminal responsibility and remains in a specialized mental facility.
