On August 21, 2024, a

school shooting A school shooting is an Gun violence, armed attack at an educational institution, such as a primary school, secondary school, high school or university, involving the use of a firearm. Many school shootings are also categorized as mass shooti ...

occurred inside the Sanski Most Gymnasium, located in

Sanski Most Sanski Most ( sr-cyrl, Сански Мост, ) is a town and municipality located in the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Sana River in northwes ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

, when the school janitor, 50-year-old Mehmed Vukalić, opened fire on three school employees with an

automatic rifle An automatic rifle is a type of Self-loading rifle, autoloading rifle that is capable of fully automatic firearm, automatic fire. Automatic rifles are generally selective fire, select-fire weapons capable of firing in Semi-automatic firearm, semi ...

. After the shooting, he attempted to commit suicide, but was captured while doing so and taken into medical custody.

Background

Small arms and weapons have been frequently trafficked in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

since the

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related#Naimark, Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and Insurgency, insurgencies that took place from 1991 to 2001 in what had been the Socialist Federal Republic of ...

. Per a 2010 study executed by the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes on developing local capacity towar ...

, there were around 750,000 illegally owned weapons in

. Mass shootings are a relatively rare occurrence in the Balkans, but they had lately seen a small rise, including the Daruvar shooting in neighboring Croatia and the

Mladenovac and Smederevo shootings On the evening of 4 May 2023, a shooting spree occurred in the villages of Dubona and Malo Orašje, between Mladenovac and Smederevo, Serbia. Armed with an automatic assault rifle, the shooter opened fire from a car, resulting in the deaths ...

and Belgrade school shooting, both in neighboring Serbia. Some school employees reported that the suspect had entered into disputes with the school management and was suffering from

Post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

after serving in the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

Shooting

At around 10:15 a.m. on August 21, 2024, the school

janitor A cleaner, cleanser or cleaning operative is a type of Industry (economics), industrial or domestic worker who is tasked with cleaning a space. A janitor (Scotland, United States and Canada), also known as a custodian, Facility Operator, porter ...

, 50-year-old Mehmed Vukalić, opened fire on employees with an automatic rifle, killing three people, before attempting to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest. He survived his self-inflicted wound and was taken into custody.

Victims

The deceased victims were identified as: * Nijaz Halilović, school director * Gordana Midžan, English teacher * Nisveta Kljunić, secretary

Aftermath

A day after the shooting, Vukalić was in stable condition after undergoing surgery. A three-day period of mourning was declared in Sanski Most because of the shooting. In December 2024, Mehmed Vukalić pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and one count of illegal possession of weapons. His trial is ongoing as of June 2025.

References

{{School shootings outside of the United States 2024 mass shootings in Europe Mass shootings in Bosnia and Herzegovina School shootings in Europe Sanski Most 2024 in Bosnia and Herzegovina Attacks on schools in 2024 Attacks on buildings and structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina 21st-century mass murder in Europe Murder in Bosnia and Herzegovina August 2024 crimes in Europe

Background

Shooting

Victims

Aftermath

See also

References