Serbia is declaring three days of mourning after a 14-year-old reportedly killed at least nine people in a school shooting in the capital.
Speaking alongside the health and interior ministers, Education Minister Branko Ruzic said that the country will observe three days of mourning on May 5-7 and that classes will begin on Thursday with a minute of silence.
"No one can return the children to their parents. There was a security ring, video surveillance was also functioning, and the school policeman was also present. Thank the health workers, we ask God to help everyone," said Ruzic.
Classes are canceled for Wednesday and a team of psychologists was called in to help students, teachers, and parents, he said.
"We had a meaningful and emotional conversation with President (Aleksandar) Vucic, Prime Minister (Ana) Brnabic, and today as a government, we will come out with an even clearer picture," he said
He added that they want to "allow the families of the deceased to send their loved ones off in peace" and urged against trying to use the tragedy as political fodder.
Belgrade police chief Veselin Milic said that the suspect, identified as K.K., had planned everything for months and that he had a list, and that he had chosen priority targets.
"He chose the history classroom because it was near the entrance to the school and his department had the first lesson, and he took the gun and weapons from his father's apartment, " said Milic.
Milic said that K.K. also had four Molotov cocktails in his bag.
According to Milic, upon arriving at the school, K.K immediately took out a gun out his bag and shot the 41-year-old security guard, then turned and killed two girls.
He continued down the corridor towards the history classroom, changing his magazine along the way, and shot at a teacher and other students, the police chief continued.
K.K then left the classroom, went to the schoolyard, threw away the magazine from his gun, and called the police.
At least eight students and a security guard were killed when a teenage boy allegedly opened fire at the school.
Another six students and a female teacher were injured in the incident that took place at Vladislav Ribnikar Primary School at around 8.40 a.m. local time (0640GMT), according to the Interior Ministry.
The 14-year-old suspect has been arrested, the ministry said.
