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Belgrade school shooting

SOLVED2023Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School, Vračar, Belgrade, Serbia3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence · crimes against children — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

On the morning of 3 May 2023, a school shooting occurred at Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in the Vračar municipality of Belgrade, Serbia. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the shooter — identified as 13-year-old seventh-grade student Kosta Kecmanović — entered the school around 08:40 CEST, pulled a gun from his backpack, and shot and killed the school security guard, then two hall monitors in the hallway. He reloaded while heading to his classroom, shot the history teacher, and fired at numerous other people. In total, nine students (eight girls and one boy) and the security guard were killed; six others — five students and the teacher — were wounded. One wounded student, Angelina Aćimović, later died of her injuries on 15 May, becoming the tenth fatality. He then went to the courtyard and contacted police at 08:42. He used two pistols legally owned by his father, a 9mm CZ-75 Shadow 2 and a .22 LR Ruger MK III Standard, and reportedly fired 66 shots.

Kecmanović surrendered to police and was taken into custody, but because Serbian law sets the minimum age of criminal responsibility at 14, he could not face criminal or misdemeanour charges; the case was referred to the Centre for Social Work, and he was placed under the care of a psychiatric hospital in Belgrade, the Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatry Clinic. The Ministry of Internal Affairs said he had planned the attack for about a month, selecting classrooms and compiling a list of students to target, and had received shooting-range training alongside his father.

Legal action was initiated against his parents. His father, Vladimir Kecmanović, a radiologist, was investigated and later charged over acts against public safety for improperly securing the firearms and taking his son to a shooting range; his mother, Miljana Kecmanović, an assistant professor of microbiology, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Both parents were also charged with child neglect. Their criminal trial began on 29 January 2024, and on 30 December they were convicted for failing to secure the firearm used in the shooting; the father was sentenced to 14.5 years' imprisonment and the mother to three years. A gun instructor who had taught Kosta to shoot, Nemanja Marinković, received one year and three months in prison. The parents and Kecmanović himself were also found liable in five separate civil lawsuits brought by victims' families, with damages ordered ranging from roughly 58,800 to 111,000 euros per claimant.

The shooting occurred one day before a separate mass shooting elsewhere in Serbia, and both attacks triggered large protests, including a "Serbia Against Violence" demonstration on 8 May attended by tens of thousands of people in Belgrade and other cities. The government announced new gun-control measures, an amnesty for surrendering illegal weapons, a Peer Violence Prevention Council, and other measures. Education Minister Branko Ružić resigned following criticism of remarks he made about video games and Western values. The school later reopened, and a memorial planting of ten cedar trees was held in front of the school.

Key facts

Victims
Ema Kobiljski, Adriana Dukić, Angelina Aćimović, Tatjana Stevanović
Date
2023
Location
Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School, Vračar, Belgrade, Serbia
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2023-05-03

    Shooting occurs at Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in Belgrade; ten people killed (nine students and a security guard) and six others wounded.

  2. 2023-05-05

    Kecmanović's father questioned at a hearing at the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade; court approves his 30-day detention.

  3. 2023-05-08

    Government launches one-month amnesty ('Hand Over Your Weapons') for surrendering illegal firearms; 'Serbia Against Violence' protest draws tens of thousands in Belgrade and other cities.

  4. 2023-05-15

    Angelina Aćimović, a critically wounded student, dies of her injuries, becoming the tenth fatality.

  5. 2023-05-22

    Higher Public Prosecutor's Office launches investigation into the Partizan Practical Shooting Club over Kecmanović's alleged training there.

  6. 2023-07-18

    Kosta Kecmanović questioned via video link in the case against his father regarding acts against public safety.

  7. 2023-07-21

    Family of one victim files civil lawsuit against Kecmanović, his parents, the school, and the Republic of Serbia.

  8. 2023-08-09

    27 claimants file a joint civil lawsuit against Kecmanović, his parents, and the school.

  9. 2024-01-29

    Criminal trial of Kecmanović's parents begins.

  10. 2024-12-30

    Parents convicted for failing to secure the firearm; father sentenced to 14.5 years, mother to three years.

  11. 2025-03-19

    Verdict announced in the 27-claimant civil lawsuit; Kecmanović, his parents, and the school found liable.

  12. 2025-05-21

    Verdict announced in history teacher Tatjana Stevanović's lawsuit; parents found liable and ordered to pay damages.

  13. 2025-11-05

    Verdict announced in the first civil lawsuit (filed July 2023); Kecmanović, his parents, and the school found liable, Republic of Serbia found not liable.

Best coverage

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People

  • Ema Kobiljski

    VICTIM

    Student killed in the shooting; daughter of Serbian volleyball coach Dragan Kobiljski.

    citation on file

  • Miljana Kecmanović

    CONVICTED

    Mother of the shooter; convicted 30 December 2024 for failing to secure the firearms used in the shooting and sentenced to three years' imprisonment; also found liable in civil lawsuits.

    citation on file

  • Nemanja Marinković

    CONVICTED

    Gun instructor who taught the shooter to use a firearm; convicted and sentenced to one year and three months in prison.

    citation on file

  • Adriana Dukić

    VICTIM

    Student killed in the shooting; a French national according to the French foreign ministry.

    citation on file

  • Angelina Aćimović

    VICTIM

    Student critically wounded in the shooting; died of her injuries on 15 May 2023, becoming the tenth fatality.

    citation on file

  • Vladimir Kecmanović

    CONVICTED

    Father of the shooter; convicted 30 December 2024 for failing to secure the firearms used in the shooting and sentenced to 14.5 years' imprisonment; also found liable in civil lawsuits.

    citation on file

  • Tatjana Stevanović

    VICTIM

    52-year-old history teacher shot three times during the attack; sustained lasting injuries and later filed a civil lawsuit against the shooter's parents.

    citation on file

  • Kosta Kecmanović

    CHARGED

    13-year-old identified by authorities as the shooter; not criminally charged due to being below Serbia's age of criminal responsibility (14), but named as a defendant/liable party in civil lawsuits; placed under psychiatric care.

    citation on file

Places

Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School, Vračar, Belgrade, Serbia

44.8056, 20.4678

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On 3 May 2023, a 13-year-old boy opened fire at Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in Belgrade, Serbia, killing ten people — nine students and a security guard — and wounding six others. Because he was under Serbia's age of criminal responsibility, he could not be criminally charged; his parents were later convicted over the firearms used.
Where did the shooting happen?
Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School, Vračar, Belgrade, Serbia.
Who was convicted?
Miljana Kecmanović (Mother of the shooter; convicted 30 December 2024 for failing to secure the firearms used in the shooting and sentenced to three years' imprisonment; also found liable in civil lawsuits.), Nemanja Marinković (Gun instructor who taught the shooter to use a firearm; convicted and sentenced to one year and three months in prison.), and Vladimir Kecmanović (Father of the shooter; convicted 30 December 2024 for failing to secure the firearms used in the shooting and sentenced to 14.5 years' imprisonment; also found liable in civil lawsuits.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.

Sources

  1. Belgrade school shootingwikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — BBC Newsnews · BBC News · 2026-07-07
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — The Guardiannews · The Guardian · 2026-07-07

Last verified JUL 2026

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