The assailant went on to shoot several other people while on the run from law enforcement
A plain-clothes police officer holds a rifle during a search for a man who shot and killed his ex-wife live on Instagram, in Gradacac, Bosnia, August 11, 2023. © AP / Stringer
A Bosnian man livestreamed the slaying of his ex-wife on Instagram before embarking on a deadly shooting rampage, according to local police and media. The incident has drawn the attention of the United Nations, which called it an extreme case of “gender-based violence.”
The gruesome footage was shared online early on Friday morning to an account belonging to body builder and personal trainer Nermin Sulejmanovic, a resident of the northeastern Bosnian town of Gradacac, news reports said.
In the clip, the man told viewers that they would witness a murder live on Instagram, and proceeded to aim a pistol at a badly beaten and bloodied woman seated in front of him, reportedly Sulejmanovic’s ex-wife. A short time later, he pulled the trigger, shooting the woman in the head at point-blank range as a child can be heard crying in the background. The video has been removed from the platform, after garnering more than 12,000 views and 125 likes.
According to prosecutors, the man then went into the streets of Gradacac armed with a handgun and shot five more people, killing a man and his young son while leaving three others with injuries, including a police officer.
As law enforcement pursued the gunman across town, Sulejmanovic “committed suicide after being located and before being apprehended,” local police added.
Bosnian Prime Minister Nermin Niksic later commented on the killing spree, saying “I have no words to describe what happened today in Gradacac.” He added, “The murderer took his own life in the end, but no one can bring back the lives of the victims.”
The United Nations’ resident coordinator for Bosnia, Ingrid Macdonald, similarly expressed shock, saying the global body “stands horrified by the fact that the murder of a female victim was livestreamed via a social network, which is one of the latest in a streak of femicide and severe cases of gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.” She called for “immediate collective action” to prevent such attacks going forward.
Sulejmanovic, 35, reportedly had a police record for drug smuggling and attacking an officer in the past. Authorities have not revealed a motive for the slaying, but said the man’s ex-wife had previously reported him for violence and threats. She has yet to be identified.
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