b: 2009

Kosta Kecmanović

Summary

Name:

Kosta Kecmanović

Years Active:

2023

Birth:

July 30, 2009

Status:

Imprisoned

Class:

Mass Murderer

Victims:

10

Method:

Shooting

Nationality:

Serbia

b: 2009

Kosta Kecmanović

Summary: Mass Murderer

Name:

Kosta Kecmanović

Status:

Imprisoned

Victims:

10

Method:

Shooting

Nationality:

Serbia

Birth:

July 30, 2009

Years Active:

2023

bio

Kosta Kecmanović was a seventh-grade student at Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in the Vračar municipality of Belgrade, Serbia. Serbian prosecutors described him as 13 years old at the time of the attack, with a birthdate of 30 July 2009.

Authorities said he was below the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Serbia (14), meaning he could not be prosecuted for the killings under Serbian criminal law. After his apprehension, he was placed under the care of a specialized psychiatric institution for minors in Belgrade.

According to information reported from the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs and later summarized in major reporting, the attack was planned in advance. Investigators stated he had prepared for approximately a month, including selecting classrooms and compiling a list of intended targets. Reporting also stated he had attended a shooting range with his father and had familiarity with firearms owned by his father.

Public reporting identified the weapons used during the shooting as two pistols: a CZ-75 Shadow 2 (9mm) and a Ruger MK III Standard (.22 LR). The same sources also reported that Molotov cocktails were brought but were not used.

Following the shooting, Kecmanović’s parents were arrested and later prosecuted in connection with firearm storage, public safety offences, and child neglect. In a criminal verdict issued on 30 December 2024, a Serbian court sentenced his father, Vladimir Kecmanović, to 14 years and six months, and his mother, Miljana Kecmanović, to three years. Major reporting also stated the mother was acquitted of illegal weapons possession in that criminal case.

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murder story

On the morning of 3 May 2023, a school shooting occurred at Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in Vračar, Belgrade. The shooting began at around 08:40 CEST and ended within minutes. According to official statements summarized in reporting, Kecmanović entered the school, produced a firearm from his backpack, and first shot and killed the school security guard. He then shot additional victims in the hallway before moving toward a classroom, where he fired again, including at a teacher and students.

Authorities stated that, shortly after the shooting, he moved into the schoolyard and contacted police at approximately 08:42. He then surrendered and was taken into custody. Reports described him as cooperating in surrendering to police, and subsequent updates stated he was moved into specialized psychiatric care due to his age and legal status.

The attack resulted in ten deaths: nine students and one school security guard. Six others were wounded, including students and a teacher. One injured student later died from her injuries on 15 May 2023, bringing the death toll to ten victims (excluding the perpetrator).

Investigators reported that the firearms used in the attack were owned legally by his father, and that Kecmanović had access to them. The weapons were identified publicly as a 9mm CZ-75 Shadow 2 pistol and a Ruger MK III Standard pistol chambered in .22 LR. The motive was not publicly confirmed in official reporting, and major sources continued to describe it as undisclosed.

The criminal case against Kecmanović himself could not proceed in the standard way because he was under 14 at the time. Legal proceedings instead focused on adults and institutions. In criminal court, his parents were convicted and sentenced on 30 December 2024, with reporting detailing prison terms for the father and mother connected to negligence and public safety offences.

Multiple civil lawsuits followed. A major civil verdict involving families of victims was issued on 19 March 2025, with reporting describing liability findings against the Kecmanović family and the school.

Additional civil rulings were reported in 2025. On 21 May 2025, a first-instance ruling ordered compensation to an injured teacher (Tatjana Stevanović) from the Kecmanović family, as reported by NIN.

On 25 July 2025, local reporting described a civil ruling ordering compensation in relation to a seriously injured boy, with liability attributed to the Kecmanović family and the school.

On 5 November 2025, Serbian outlets including RTS, Danas, and Nova reported a civil verdict ordering the Kecmanović family and the school to pay damages to the Dukić family, while the state was reported as not liable in that decision.

On 31 December 2025, Serbian outlets reported another civil ruling ordering additional compensation connected to an injured minor, again attributing responsibility to the parents for damages caused by their minor child.