A Belgrade court has handed down prison sentences to the parents of a 14-year-old boy who carried out a mass shooting at a school in the Serbian capital, killing nine children and a security guard. The retrial verdict, delivered on Tuesday, marks a rare instance of parental criminal liability for a child’s violent act in the country.
The boy’s father, Vladimir Kecmanović, was sentenced to 14 years and six months in prison for aggravated endangerment of public safety and illegal possession of weapons. His mother, Miljana Kecmanović, received a three-year sentence for illegal possession of firearms. The court found that the parents failed to secure the weapons used in the attack, which included two pistols and a rifle belonging to the father.
The shooting occurred on 3 May 2023 at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in Belgrade’s Vračar district. The teenage perpetrator, who cannot be named due to his age, used his father’s registered firearms after obtaining the access code to the safe. He was taken into custody immediately after the attack and later placed in a psychiatric institution.
This retrial was ordered by Serbia’s appellate court after the initial verdict was challenged by prosecutors who argued that the original sentences were too lenient. In the first trial, the father received a 10-year sentence and the mother was acquitted. The appellate court overturned the acquittal, leading to the new sentences. Both parents have the right to appeal.
The case has ignited a national debate on gun control and parental responsibility. Serbia has some of the most permissive gun laws in Europe, with an estimated 2.7 million firearms in private hands. Following the shooting, the government implemented temporary measures including a ban on new gun licences and a requirement for gun owners to store weapons in safes. Over 13,000 firearms were voluntarily surrendered in the subsequent amnesty.
Legal experts say this verdict sets a precedent. ‘This sends a clear message that parents can be held criminally liable if their failure to secure weapons enables a tragedy,’ said Dr. Jelena Petrović, a criminal law professor at the University of Belgrade. ‘It’s a significant shift in jurisprudence.’
The victims’ families expressed mixed reactions. ‘No sentence can bring back our children,’ said a parent who spoke on condition of anonymity. ‘But we hope this will force other parents to think twice about keeping guns at home.’
The teenage shooter remains in a secure psychiatric facility. Under Serbian law, he cannot be tried as an adult due to his age at the time of the crime. His treatment and potential release will be reviewed periodically by medical authorities.
This case continues to reverberate through Serbian society, exposing deep rifts between those who advocate for stricter gun control and those who see firearm ownership as a fundamental right. As the court gavel fell on this chapter, the broader struggle for public safety and accountability remains unresolved.
