Croatian court sentences gunman to 50 years for nursing home shooting that killed 6 people

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A court in Croatia on Thursday convicted a gunman in a mass shooting at a nursing home nearly a year ago, and sentenced him to 50 years in prison for killing six people, including his own mother, and wounding several others.

The Municipal Court in Bjelovar, about 80 kilometers (nearly 50 miles) east of the capital Zagreb, found 52-year-old Kresimir Pahoki guilty on 13 counts, including murder and attempted murder.

Pahoki, who is a former fighter from an ethnic war in the 1990s in Croatia, walked into the nursing home in Daruvar, in central Croatia, on July 22, initially to pay for his mother’s bills. He then opened fire, killing five people on the spot, while one more person died later in a hospital.

Pahoki said during the trial that he didn’t feel guilty. It wasn’t immediately clear whether he will appeal the verdict.

Such shootings are rare in Croatia, despite many weapons left over from the 1991-1995 war. Daruvar is a small spa town with around 8,500 residents.