PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A man injured in a mass shooting on New Year’s Day in Montenegro passed away on Thursday, raising the death toll to 13.

The shooting incident on January 1 occurred in the western town of Cetinje following a bar altercation. A 45-year-old local individual took the lives of 12 people at various locations before ending his own life. Among the victims were two children. Four others were injured, including Dejan Kokotovic, born in 1985, who succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.

This incident marked the second mass shooting in Cetinje within a span of less than three years. In August 2022, a shooter claimed the lives of 10 individuals before being neutralized by a passerby.

These acts of violence have raised significant concerns regarding the level of aggression present in Montenegrin society, which is currently experiencing political divisions.

The Montenegrin government has vowed to implement measures aimed at reducing the widespread illegal possession of firearms in the Balkan nation, which has a population of about 620,000.

The country, located on the Adriatic Sea, possesses a long-established gun culture. According to state broadcaster RTCG, Montenegro ranks sixth in the world for the number of illegal firearms per capita.

In response to the mass shootings, several thousand people have gathered to demand the resignation of key security officials, accusing the authorities of failing to improve security measures between the two tragic events in Cetinje.