Serbian courts handed the father of a 13‑year‑old gunman 14 years and six months and the mother 2 years 11 months in a retrial held on Tuesday. The two received sentences for negligence after the boy was confined to a psychiatric institution following the May 3, 2023 shootings at Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school.
At the time of the attack the boy shot 66 rounds, killing nine pupils, a guard and wounding several others. The case sparked national outrage and led to a brief gun‑amnesty and the introduction of tougher weapon‑control laws.
The initial 2024 trial had acquitted the mother of firearm possession but convicted the father for failing to secure guns in a safe. The court’s final judgment treats both parents as parties who failed to protect their child and, in the father’s case, failed to keep firearms out of reach.
Both the defence and the prosecution have immediately lodged appeals, with the judge noting that the earlier verdicts contained contradictory reasoning. The parent‑guardian trial, now over, precedes the appeal hearing that is set for later this year.
Zora Dobričanin, a lawyer who represented the families of the victims, described the proceedings as a “long fight” that will continue in the courts of appeal. She emphasizes that the case reflects Serbia’s systemic response to a tragic incident that changed the country’s security discourse.
Despite rare incidences of school shootings in Serbia, the 2023 event remains a poignant reminder of the stakes of parental oversight and community safety. The case will likely influence future policy debate over youth violence, gun access, and the role of families in preventing tragedy.
