Mladenovac and Smederevo shootings

On the evening of 4 May 2023, a mass shooting occurred in the villages of Dubona and Malo Orašje, located between Mladenovac and Smederevo, Serbia. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Uroš Blažić, drove between the two villages firing an automatic assault rifle and pistols at people he did not know, including a group having a barbecue in Malo Orašje and residents in a schoolyard in Dubona. Eight people were killed instantly, including an off-duty 21-year-old police officer and his 19-year-old sister; a ninth victim, a 26-year-old man wounded in Malo Orašje, died more than a month later on 23 June. At least thirteen people were injured, some critically, including a girl who had her hand amputated.

After the shooting, Blažić fled the scene, carjacked a vehicle in Dubona, and later hijacked a taxi near a tollbooth by threatening the driver and a passenger with a hand grenade. He was eventually taken to a village near Kragujevac, where he was arrested on 5 May 2023. He was charged with murder, attempted murder, criminal possession of a weapon, kidnapping, and carjacking. During questioning, he admitted to the shootings and said he wanted to spread fear in the villages, citing alleged past bullying and disputes involving his father. His trial began on 23 August 2024, and on 12 December 2024 he was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison — the maximum sentence applicable given his age at the time of the offense. The verdict was confirmed on 20 June 2025.

Following the attack, police also arrested Blažić's father (a retired lieutenant colonel), his uncle, and his first cousin on weapons-related charges after firearms, ammunition, and explosives were found at family properties. The father was tried alongside Blažić and was found guilty on both charges, receiving a 20-year prison sentence, also confirmed on 20 June 2025. The uncle and cousin were tried separately, with proceedings beginning 27 May 2024; the cousin was found guilty and sentenced to 18 months in prison, while the uncle was acquitted. That verdict was confirmed on 8 May 2025.

The shooting occurred one day after the Belgrade school shooting, and together the two incidents led to large public protests in Serbia demanding accountability from officials and stricter firearms controls. In response, the Serbian government announced a moratorium on new gun permits, additional psychological screening for gun owners, and a month-long amnesty program for surrendering illegal weapons, which resulted in tens of thousands of firearms being handed in. President Aleksandar Vučić visited the affected villages, and a parliamentary inquiry committee was later formed to examine the circumstances of both shootings. Mass shootings are rare in Serbia and the wider Balkans, with only a handful of comparable prior incidents recorded in the 21st century.