Bio

He was born in 1973 and came from the nearby village of Donji Daruvar. Donji Daruvar is close to the town of Daruvar in Bjelovar-Bilogora County.

He served in the Croatian War of Independence. After the war, he worked as a military policeman and later retired from that job. In 1996, he received the Homeland's Gratitude Medal.

He was the son of a woman who lived in a nursing home in Daruvar. He had a prior record with police for incidents such as disturbance of public order and domestic abuse. Croatian media reported that he had financial problems, including issues with paying bills for the nursing home.

Murder Story

On 22 July 2024, a mass shooting happened at a private nursing home in Daruvar, Croatia. The shooter was identified as Krešimir Pahoki, the son of one of the residents. He opened fire on residents and staff. Six people were killed, including his mother, four other residents, and a staff member. Six others were injured. Pahoki was arrested later in a nearby cafe. He was later convicted and sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment.

The shooting took place at about 10:10 CEST. The nursing home had 20 residents. Five people died at the scene and a sixth person died after being taken to hospital. Most of the victims were in their 80s and 90s. Pahoki fled after the shooting but was arrested by police in a nearby cafe.

Before his arrest, Pahoki had entered the cafe in Daruvar before 10 a.m. and then left. He returned as people on the street showed signs of panic. He placed a gun on a table, which alarmed the staff. A senior waitress organized an evacuation for the other patrons and helped the police arrest him. Pahoki was compliant during the arrest.

The people killed were Anka Papp, who was Pahoki's mother; Bosiljka Njegomir; Gisela Vegh; Zdenka Leder; Damir Fijala, a staff member; and Marija Čihak, who was taken to the hospital and later died from her injuries.

Krešimir Pahoki was born in 1973 and was a retired military policeman from Daruvar. He had received the Homeland's Gratitude Medal in 1996 and had served in the Croatian War of Independence. He had a prior police record for incidents including disturbance of public order and domestic abuse. The gun used in the attack was found to be unregistered. Croatian media reported that he had financial issues, including payment of bills for the nursing home. Pahoki came from the nearby village of Donji Daruvar, and one of the victims was also from there.

The 2017 Small Arms Survey estimated 13.7 privately owned guns per 100 people in Croatia. Many households keep weapons that date back to the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s. Mass shootings in Croatia are rare. The only other incident with a similar number of victims in the 21st century was the 2019 Kajzerica shooting, in which six people were killed.

On 23 July, 11 criminal charges were filed against Pahoki, including aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder, and femicide. In December 2024, he was indicted on 13 charges related to the shooting and to an incident on 20 June 2024. His trial began on 7 April 2025. During the trial, he said he did not feel guilty over the shooting. On 3 July 2025, the municipal court of Bjelovar convicted him and sentenced him to 50 years' imprisonment.

Croatian President Zoran Milanović expressed shock and called for stricter gun control regulations. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković described the shooting as a serious attack and expressed condolences to the victims. A day of mourning was held in Daruvar on 24 July.