School shooting in Serbia leaves 8 children dead

By Sana Noor Haq, Thom Poole, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 0147 GMT (0947 HKT) May 4, 2023
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11:49 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Serbia school shooting suspect called authorities himself, police chief says

From CNN's Josh Pennington and Radina Gigova

A teenage suspect who opened fire at a school in Belgrade killing eight schoolchildren and one security guard called police himself, Belgrade's Police Chief Veselin Milić said at a news conference Wednesday. 

When he called police, the suspect told them what he did and waited in the schoolyard to be arrested, Milić said. 

8:37 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Serbia school shooting claimed the lives of 7 girls, 1 boy and 1 security guard, police chief says

From CNN's Josh Pennington and Radina Gigova

Seven girls, one boy and one security guard were killed in a school shooting in the Serbian capital on Wednesday, Belgrade's Police Chief Veselin Milić said at a news conference.

Milić said the suspect opened fire in the history classroom.

"He chose the history classroom because it was near the entrance of the school," Milić said. 

11:57 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Hungarian president sends condolences to victims of Belgrade school shooting

From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls

Hungarian President Katalin Novak speaks at Prague Castle, Czech Republic, on March 3.
Hungarian President Katalin Novak speaks at Prague Castle, Czech Republic, on March 3. (Katerina Sulova/CTK/AP)

Hungary’s President Katalin Novak tweeted her condolences to the victims of the deadly shooting at a school in Belgrade on Wednesday.

Eight students and a security guard are confirmed dead.  

“On behalf of #Hungary, I want to express my deepest condolences to [Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia] and, through him, to #Serbian nation, and families of those who lost their lives in the tragic shooting at Belgrade school. We pray for the victims and their families,” she said on Twitter.

The suspect, who authorities said was a student at the school, is in custody after nine people were killed and several more injured.

This post has been updated with more details about the shooting.

7:47 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Father of Serbian schoolgirl shares harrowing account of trying to reach his daughter

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Josh Pennington 

The father of one of the students at a Belgrade school where a deadly shooting took place early Wednesday said he ran to look for his daughter after seeing police at the scene.

"I was heading to the bank, and I saw a bunch of police. That was around 8:50. I came running. I saw the school psychologist, I saw the school staff, the teachers who were in shock," the father told N1.

A student allegedly opened fire at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in central Belgrade, where nine people were killed and several others injured.

"The police came quickly, from what I could see. I asked: 'Where’s my kid?' And allegedly, one man said that the history teacher was shot. I went back to my apartment to look at my child’s schedule, and she was actually in history class. I took my wife with me and we went back out on the street," he said. 

"I saw that the security guard was lying under a table, in a circle [of blood?] I went through the door looking for an attendant. I didn’t know what to do. I asked 'Where’s my kid?' and no one was saying anything," he added.

The father said he learned that his daughter had gone to Tsvetni Trg, a location in Belgrade, not far from the Vracar neighborhood where the school is located.

"She called her mother. But her mother didn’t have her phone on her."

The mother of one of the students said her daughter is "still in shock" following the deadly attack, according to N1. 

"My child is still in shock, full of adrenaline, we haven't been able to calm her down," she told N1.

7:32 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Belgrade teacher wounded in shooting is 53 years old

From CNN's Stephanie Halasz

The teacher who was wounded in the Belgrade school shooting, along with six other students, is 53 years old, according to CNN affiliate N1.

The female teacher and the wounded school children have been admitted to the emergency center at the University Clinical Center of Serbia, N1 reported. All patients are in surgery at the moment, according to the N1 website.

One of the wounded students – a schoolgirl –  is undergoing surgery after she sustained life-threatening injuries during the attack, according to officials.

11:52 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

"He started shooting randomly": Parent describes deadly Belgrade school shooting

From Reuters

The father of one of the pupils at a Serbian school where a student opened fire early Wednesday said the suspect "started shooting randomly."

Milan Milosevic said his daughter was in the class where the gun was fired, Reuters reported.

"She managed to escape. (The boy) ... first shot the teacher and then he started shooting randomly," he told broadcaster N1, according to Reuters.

"I saw the security guard lying under the table. I saw two girls with blood on their shirts. They say he (the shooter) was quiet and a good pupil. He recently joined their class," added Milosevic, who rushed to the school after the shooting.

Nine people were killed and several others injured following the school shooting in Belgrade. The suspect, who authorities said was a student at the school,  is in custody.

"I saw kids running out from the school, screaming. Parents came, they were in panic. Later I heard three shots," a girl who attends a high school adjacent to Vladislav Ribnikar told state TV RTS, Reuters reported.

This post has been updated with more details about the shooting.

6:39 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Schoolgirl undergoing surgery after sustaining life-threatening injuries

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Josh Pennington 

Police block the street around the Vladislav Ribnikar school in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday.
Police block the street around the Vladislav Ribnikar school in Belgrade, Serbia, on Wednesday. (Darko Vojinovic/AP)

One of the children who sustained life-threatening injuries following Wednesday's school shooting in Belgrade is now undergoing surgery, according to CNN affiliate N1. 

Seven people were left injured after a student opened fire at an elementary school in the Serbian capital, including six children and one teacher.

11:53 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Teenage suspect was arrested in school's yard

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Josh Pennington 

Police officers escort a person suspected of firing several shots at a school in the capital of Belgrade on May 3.
Police officers escort a person suspected of firing several shots at a school in the capital of Belgrade on May 3. (Oliver Bunic/AFP/Getty Images)

A teenage boy suspected of opening fire at the school he attended in Belgrade was arrested by authorities in the school's yard, according to officials.

"A student of this school K. K. (2009) who is suspected of having committed this crime was found and arrested," Serbia's Interior Ministry said in a statement. 

"All police forces are still on the ground and are intensively working to shed light on all the facts and circumstances that led to this tragedy," the statement added. 

This post has been updated with more details about the shooting.

6:35 a.m. ET, May 3, 2023

7 people hospitalized in Belgrade school shooting

From CNN's Radina Gigova and Josh Pennington 

The deadly school shooting in Belgrade has left seven people injured, according to Serbia's Interior Ministry.

Six children and one teacher were hospitalized after sustaining wounds from the attack, according to the ministry. 

The shooting took place at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School in Vračar.