<p>A teenage boy opened fire at a school in Serbia's capital Wednesday, killing eight children and a school guard, police said. Six more children and a teacher were injured and hospitalised.</p>.<p>Police identified the shooter by his initials, K.K., and said he had opened fire with his father's gun. He was arrested in the school yard, police said. A statement identified him as a student at the school in central Belgrade who was born in 2009.</p>.<p>Police said they received a call about the shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school around 8:40 a.m. Primary schools in Serbia have eight grades, starting with first grade.</p>.<p>“I was able to hear the shooting. It was non-stop," a student who was in a sports class downstairs when the gunfire erupted. “I didn't know what was happening. We were receiving some messages on the phone.”</p>.<p>Unlike in the United States, mass shootings in Serbia and in the wider Balkan region are extremely rare; none were reported at schools in recent years. In the last mass shooting, a Balkan war veteran in 2013 killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.</p>.<p>Experts, however, have repeatedly warned of the number of weapons left over in the country after the wars of the 1990s. They also note that decades-long instability stemming from the conflicts as well as the ongoing economic hardship could trigger such outbursts.</p>.<p>Local media footage from the scene showed commotion outside the school as police removed the suspect, whose head was covered as officers led him to a car parked in the street.</p>.<p>The student who heard the shooting, who was identified only by her initials, E.M., because of her age, described the suspect as a “quiet guy” who “looked nice.”</p>.<p>“He was having good grades, but we didn't know much about him,” the student added. “He was not so open with everybody. Surely I wasn't expecting this to happen.”</p>.<p>Milan Milosevic, who said his daughter was in a history class when the shooting took place, told N1 television that he rushed out when he heard what had happened.</p>.<p>“I asked where is my child but no one could tell me anything at first,” he said. “Then she called and we found out she was out.”</p>.<p>“He (the shooter) fired first at the teacher and then the children who ducked under the desks,” Milosevic quoted his daughter as saying. “She said he was a quiet boy and a good student.”</p>.<p>Police sealed off the blocks around the school, in the centre of Belgrade.</p>
<p>A teenage boy opened fire at a school in Serbia's capital Wednesday, killing eight children and a school guard, police said. Six more children and a teacher were injured and hospitalised.</p>.<p>Police identified the shooter by his initials, K.K., and said he had opened fire with his father's gun. He was arrested in the school yard, police said. A statement identified him as a student at the school in central Belgrade who was born in 2009.</p>.<p>Police said they received a call about the shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school around 8:40 a.m. Primary schools in Serbia have eight grades, starting with first grade.</p>.<p>“I was able to hear the shooting. It was non-stop," a student who was in a sports class downstairs when the gunfire erupted. “I didn't know what was happening. We were receiving some messages on the phone.”</p>.<p>Unlike in the United States, mass shootings in Serbia and in the wider Balkan region are extremely rare; none were reported at schools in recent years. In the last mass shooting, a Balkan war veteran in 2013 killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.</p>.<p>Experts, however, have repeatedly warned of the number of weapons left over in the country after the wars of the 1990s. They also note that decades-long instability stemming from the conflicts as well as the ongoing economic hardship could trigger such outbursts.</p>.<p>Local media footage from the scene showed commotion outside the school as police removed the suspect, whose head was covered as officers led him to a car parked in the street.</p>.<p>The student who heard the shooting, who was identified only by her initials, E.M., because of her age, described the suspect as a “quiet guy” who “looked nice.”</p>.<p>“He was having good grades, but we didn't know much about him,” the student added. “He was not so open with everybody. Surely I wasn't expecting this to happen.”</p>.<p>Milan Milosevic, who said his daughter was in a history class when the shooting took place, told N1 television that he rushed out when he heard what had happened.</p>.<p>“I asked where is my child but no one could tell me anything at first,” he said. “Then she called and we found out she was out.”</p>.<p>“He (the shooter) fired first at the teacher and then the children who ducked under the desks,” Milosevic quoted his daughter as saying. “She said he was a quiet boy and a good student.”</p>.<p>Police sealed off the blocks around the school, in the centre of Belgrade.</p>