Fiona Nanna, ForeMedia News
5 minutes read. Updated 5:13PM GMT Wed, 21August, 2024

In a tragic event that has shocked the nation, at least three staff members were killed in a shooting at the Sanski Most High School Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday morning. The victims, identified as the school’s principal, secretary, and a teacher, were gunned down in what authorities are calling a deliberate attack by a school employee.
The incident occurred at approximately 10:15 am local time (08:15 GMT), according to Adnan Beganovic, a spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The shooter, who was reportedly armed with a military-grade automatic rifle, opened fire on the staff members before attempting to take his own life. The perpetrator, whose name has not been released, was found seriously injured at the scene and was immediately transported to Banja Luka Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Sanski Most, a town situated roughly 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, is now the site of one of the deadliest school shootings in the country’s recent history. Despite the school being closed for the summer holidays, the staff was present for a meeting in preparation for the upcoming academic year, sparing students from the horrifying event.
The motive behind the shooting remains unclear. However, initial reports suggest that the gunman may have had a longstanding dispute with the school management. The Associated Press has indicated that the employee’s grievance could have fueled this deadly outburst, although police have yet to confirm this theory.
This incident has sent shockwaves through Bosnia and Herzegovina, a nation still grappling with the remnants of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. The Balkans, particularly Bosnia, have been plagued by the proliferation of small arms and other weapons left over from the conflicts that tore apart the former Yugoslavia. According to a 2010 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report, there were an estimated 750,000 illegally possessed weapons in Bosnia alone. However, mass shootings remain a rarity in this region, making Wednesday’s attack all the more alarming.
The last significant school shooting in the Balkans occurred in May 2023, in Belgrade, Serbia, when a teenage student opened fire on his classmates, resulting in the deaths of 10 people, including nine students. This event had already sparked a broader conversation about gun control and safety in schools across the region. The Sanski Most shooting is expected to reignite these discussions as the country mourns the loss of the three educators.
Police and emergency services responded swiftly to the scene, securing the area and launching a thorough investigation. As Bosnia continues to recover from the trauma of this tragedy, the focus will undoubtedly turn to how such incidents can be prevented in the future.