Ljubiša Bogdanović

Background

Ljubiša Bogdanović was born in Velika Ivanča in 1953. He served as a Serb veteran of the Croatian War of Independence and served for four and a half months. He held a firearm permit since 1981. His father committed suicide when he was a child. Ljubiša Bogdanović and his brother Radmilo were brought up by their grandfather Obrad, who was said to have been extremely strict and beat him when he made any mistakes.

Some residents described Bogdanović as a “quiet guy”. Other accounts said he had a domestic violence history and had a dispute with his son about his relationship with a girl of whom Ljubiša Bogdanović did not approve. Although Bogdanović was not known to have suffered from mental illness, his family had a history of mental illness. Besides Bogdanović's father committing suicide, his cousin and uncle suffered from mental illnesses, and the uncle was treated and eventually died in a mental institution.

Bogdanović and his son Branko had been employees of a Slovenian wood-processing factory in Mladenovac until 2012, when both lost their jobs.

The offence

At approximately 05:00 CEST (03:00 UTC), Ljubiša Bogdanović shot and killed his 83-year-old mother Dobrila and his 42-year-old son Branko, and wounded his wife Javorka with a shot to the head in their home.

The gunman then entered four neighbouring houses, killing five men, five women, and a two-year-old child, most of whom were shot in the head while they were sleeping. The weapon used was reported to be a CZ-88 9mm pistol.

Police said the spree ended when they arrived at the scene after a call from Javorka Bogdanović. They found Ljubiša Bogdanović in the backyard of his house.

Investigation

Authorities searched for motives in Serbia’s worst peacetime shooting rampage, and the motive was described as unclear. Serbian officials said the killings showed the government must pay more attention to gun control, medical screening for war veterans, and other social problems facing the Balkan nation, which was still reeling from the 1990s wars. Although mass shootings were described as relatively rare in Serbia, weapons were described as readily available.

Police said Bogdanović had a licence for the handgun he used. Some accounts reported speculation that Bogdanović may have been suffering from the psychological effects of the 1991–1995 war in Croatia, in which he served as a soldier for the Serbian army.

Arrest

Police apprehended Ljubiša Bogdanović in the backyard of the last of the five houses where he carried out his attack. He attempted to commit suicide after seeing a police car drive into the village, but survived initially.

Trial

No trial is described.

Sentencing

No sentencing is described.

Appeals

No appeals are described.

Outcome

Twelve of the victims died at the scene, and one victim died later that day at a Belgrade hospital.

Ljubiša Bogdanović died from his injuries two days later after being taken to hospital in critical condition. Javorka Bogdanović was taken to hospital and was described as recovering from surgery and in a stable condition, and other accounts described her as in critical condition initially.

Timeline

• 05:00 CEST (03:00 UTC), 9 April 2013 — At approximately 05:00 CEST, Ljubiša Bogdanović shot and killed his mother Dobrila and his son Branko, wounded his wife Javorka, and then entered four neighbouring houses, killing additional victims before police arrived after a call from Javorka.
• 11 April 2013 — Ljubiša Bogdanović died from his injuries in a Belgrade hospital.

Aftermath

A special meeting of the Serbian cabinet was called in response to the shooting. The government declared 10 April 2013 to be a day of mourning. Funerals for the victims were scheduled for Friday in the village.

Victims and people affected

Fourteen people (including the gunman) died and one, Javorka Bogdanović, was injured.

• Ljubiša Bogdanović, 60, gunman
• Branko Bogdanović, 42, son of Ljubiša Bogdanović
• Dobrila Bogdanović, 83, mother of Ljubiša Bogdanović
• Mihajlo Despotović, 61, cousin of Ljubiša Bogdanović
• Milena Despotović, 61, wife of Mihajlo Despotović
• Goran Despotović, 23, grandson of Mihajlo and Milena Despotović
• Jovana Despotović, 21, wife of Goran Despotović
• David Despotović, 2, son of Goran and Jovana Despotović
• Ljubina Ješić, 64
• Miloš Ješić, 48, son of Ljubina Ješić
• Velimir Mijailović, 78
• Olga Mijailović, 79, wife of Velimir Mijailović
• Danica Stekić, 78
• Dragana Stekić, 50, daughter of Danica Stekić, cousin of Ljubiša Bogdanović
• Javorka Bogdanović, wife of Ljubiša Bogdanović (injured; shot in the head)

Quotes

Serbia’s police chief, Milorad Veljovic, told reporters: “Most of the victims were shot while they slept.” Serbia’s police chief, Milorad Veljovic, told reporters: “We've never had a tragedy on such a scale in Serbia and we must now find out what drove this man to kill so many people.”

Neighbour Milovan Konstantinovic told Reuters: “Everyone would open their doors to him,” Neighbour Milovan Konstantinovic told Reuters: “He helped everyone in the neighbourhood. Something must have snapped in his head.” Neighbour Milovan Konstantinovic told Reuters: “If they hadn't stopped him, he would probably have eliminated us all.”

Neighbour Milovan Kostadinovic said he and his family survived only because a police patrol showed up in the village after a call by Bogdanovic's wife: “He should have suffered more for what he did to us. I feel better now that I know he passed away.”

Another neighbour, Radovan Radosavljevic, described how the man went from door to door: “He knocked on the doors and as they were opened he just fired a shot.”