The Šibenik police held a press conference today on the quadruple murder and suicide in Šibenik and Vodice on Saturday, January 30, 2021. The Chief of the Šibenik-Knin Police Administration, Ivica Kostanić, opened the conference by explaining the case’s chronology.
Kalashnikov procured illegally
“At 12:56 pm, we received a report that a dead man was found in a Mercedes in Vodice. We found him with gunshot wounds. The ambulance informed us about three more dead people on the South Highway. It was determined that they had gunshot wounds. An arrest warrant has been issued for the perpetrator.
During the inspection at 18:22, we received a report that a vehicle had been seen in the Vodice area. The report was from the citizens, and I have to thank the citizens for their help. The suspect’s body was dead in the vehicle.
We determined that he used a 7.62 caliber weapon, the Chinese version of the Kalashnikov. He killed three people near Šibenik and then drove towards Vodice in the car of the murdered 60-year-old. He parked in front of the store of the injured 47-year-old. When he came out, he fired shots at him from the same weapon. Then he drove the Škoda outside Vodice, got out of the vehicle two kilometers away, and killed himself with the same weapon.
In addition to that weapon, he possessed a pistol, a rifle with optics, and 302 pieces of ammunition. We have determined that the motives are of a business nature and related to the pre-bankruptcy procedure,” said Kostanić.
He added that the perpetrator acquired and owned the Kalashnikov and all other weapons illegally, and they are now investigating how. Kostanić also denied the possibility that there was any indication that the killer would commit this crime because there was no farewell letter.
Motive of the murder – business relationship
“By reviewing the documentation and interviews, we determined that the motive for the crime was a business relationship between the suspect and the victims related to the bankruptcy proceedings against the suspect’s company and the amount for which the suspect’s real estate and movables were or should be sold,” Kostanić said.
Bankruptcy proceedings are being studied. The criminal investigation continues in the establishing business relations and court proceedings at the Commercial Court in Zadar.
“These are all criminal offenses in the field of economic crime. Extensive documentation should be studied here, and, based on what we have established, we could fully explain the motive for the committed crime. The fact is that it was a business relationship and the consequences related to it,” Kostanić said.
Suspect had his weapon confiscated earlier
The murder happened an hour after the three victims, and the killer met in a business meeting at a warehouse in Ražine. In Vodice, the killer came in front of the “Djelo” shopping center and waited for the fourth victim.
At the murder places near the warehouse in Ražine, the police found 16 shell casings of automatic weapons and 21 shell casings in the car of the 47-year-old. They found a CZ pistol and 125 pieces of ammunition, a silencer for an automatic rifle, and a knife in a holster in the vehicle of the person they presume to have killed.
In the Škoda, which was searched for on Saturday, the police found an automatic rifle with 28 rounds of ammunition and a hunting cartridge. In one of his houses, ammunition for a pistol, an air rifle with optics, and ammunition for a hunting rifle was found. Bankruptcy documentation was found in another house.
“Although he was a hunter, his weapon was illegal and was previously confiscated due to domestic violence. In 2009, the weapon was confiscated. In 2014 it was returned. However, in 2018, the weapon was confiscated again due to the threat to one person. No elements were identified then, but when the police entered the house, they found that the weapons were kept inconsistent with the law. And we filed a misdemeanor motion, and the proceedings were ongoing,” the chief explained.
He added that the mentioned report for the threat had nothing to do with this event. It was about neighborly relations.
As TCN reported earlier, a 47-year-old businessman from Šibenik was killed in Vodice. A 42-year-old businessman, a 61-year-old bankruptcy trustee, and her 62-year-old husband were killed in Šibenik. The suspected 57-year-old businessman was found dead after the murder.
Source: Index
