Parents of a 13‑year‑old who killed nine people in a Belgrade school have been handed jail terms in a retrial.
The shooting, carried out on 3 May 2023 in Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school, left ten dead and several wounded. The boy’s father, Vladimir Kecmanović, was previously convicted for his role in training and storing firearms, while his wife, Miljana, faced charges of neglect and abuse.
In January 2025, a appeals court ordered a retrial, citing unclear and contradictory reasoning in earlier judgments. The retrial began in January 2026, and the court found both parents guilty of neglect, sentencing the father to 14 years 6 months and the mother to 2 years 11 months.
The case remains in dispute, with both sides appealing. The judge’s detailed timeline documented the boy firing 66 bullets over two minutes and one second, underscoring the severity of the crime.
Experts argue that the parents’ failures to secure firearms and supervise the child contributed to the tragedy, a view bolstered by the judicial findings. Current debates focus on reforms to gun safety and parental responsibilities.
For context, the 2023 shooting was the first school shooting in Serbia, sparking nationwide protests and prompting a government gun amnesty and stricter regulations.
