On 2 July 2016, a Serbian man killed five people and injured twenty-two others after he opened fire with an assault rifle in a café in the village of
Žitište
Žitište ( sr-Cyrl, Житиште, ; ; ) is a town and municipality located in the Central Banat District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022 census, the town itself has a population of 2,550, while Žitište municipali ...
, in the
Central Banat District
The Central Banat District (, ) is one of Administrative districts of Serbia, administrative districts of Serbia. It lies in the geographical region of Banat. According to the 2022 census, the Central Banat District has a population of 157,711 ...
of
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
,
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
. The perpetrator was later identified as Siniša Zlatić ( sr-Cyrl, Синиша Златић).
Shooting
On the nights of 1 July 2016 and 2 July 2016, Zlatić visited a café during a local festival, where he noticed his estranged wife with a group of friends. He returned home and retrieved an
AK-47
The AK-47, officially known as the Avtomat Kalashnikova (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is an assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms designer Mikhail Kala ...
assault rifle he illegally owned. He then returned to the café and at about 1:40 a.m. local time started shooting into the air. The attacker then shot his wife and another woman dead before randomly shooting other diners in the café, killing three men and injuring 22 other people. Café diners then grabbed the gun from the attacker as he tried to run away. Police located the gunman in the vicinity and quickly apprehended him.
Aftermath
On 1 March 2017, the high court in
Zrenjanin
Zrenjanin ( sr-Cyrl, Зрењанин, ; ; ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Central Banat District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city urban area has a population of 67,129 inh ...
sentenced Zlatić to 40 years in prison, the longest possible sentence according to Serbian laws at that time.
See also
*
Gun politics in Serbia
*
List of massacres in Serbia
*
List of rampage killers in Europe
This is a list of mass or spree killers in Europe. A mass murderer is typically defined as someone who kills three or more people in one incident, with no "cooling off" period, not including themselves. A mass murder typically occurs in a single ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zitiste shooting
21st-century mass murder in Serbia
Mass shootings in Serbia
2016 mass shootings in Europe
Attacks on coffeehouses and cafés in Europe
2016 murders in Serbia
Attacks on buildings and structures in 2016
Central Banat District
Deaths by firearm in Serbia
July 2016 crimes in Europe
Mass murder in 2016
21st century in Vojvodina
History of Banat
Uxoricides