Guard killed in nightclub violence

A shoot-out at a popular Belgrade nightclub early today left a security guard dead and three others wounded, one of them seriously, while one bystander was also injured.

Serbian police said the violence erupted at 4am (2am Irish time) at the “Stupica” club in central Belgrade, when a group of about 10 customers started breaking furniture.

One of the security guards, identified as Vladimir Tankosic, 25, tried to calm the situation but was hit over the head by an ashtray, police said. He died shortly afterward at the Belgrade emergency clinic.

As the violence escalated, several people pulled out guns and began firing randomly toward other customers and in the direction of the club’s security guards.

Tankosic and three other guards, along with a female customer, were wounded. The gunmen fled the scene, police said, adding that several people were detained.

Violence, gangland shootings and street killings have increased in Belgrade since the Balkan wars of the 1990s, which led to the collapse of Serbia’s security system and a rise in organised crime. Clashes between members of rival drug and cigarette smuggling clans have also become common.