A man with a firearm entered a private home for the elderly in the town of Daruvar – about 75 miles east of the capital Zagreb – and opened fire at those who were present, Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) reported. Six people were also injured during the shooting, it said, quoting police.
Five of those killed were residents of the home and one person was an employee, Croatian police chief Nikola Milina told reporters from Daruvar, HRT reported.
The gunman had had previous encounters with authorities, was a member of a military police unit, and had a short firearm that hadn’t been registered, Milina said, adding it is too early to talk about a motive.
Five of the victims died immediately, according to HRT. State news agency HINA has reported that some of those injured were receiving medical assistance in the hours after the shooting.
A police officer stands outside the cafe where the shooter was arrested.
The gunman ran away but was later arrested near a cafe, according to HINA.
The investigation is ongoing and police have not provided additional details, HRT said.
“We are appalled by the murder of five people” in the home for the elderly, Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said in a post on social media, before the death of the sixth victim.
“We express our condolences to the families of the victims and hope for the recovery of the wounded. I expect the competent authorities to determine all the circumstances of the terrible crime,” Plenković said.
Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister Davor Božinović, Minister of Health Vili Beroš, and social policy minister Marin Piletić are travelling to Daruvar, the prime minister added.
