Serbian policeman shot dead near the Bosnian border

“When leaving the vehicle, a person fired a weapon and hit police officer Nikola Krsmanovic in the chest and police officer Vjekoslav Ilic in the shoulder, after which he fled,” the ministry said in a statement.

Both officers were taken to a nearby hospital, where Krsmanovic died, the statement added.

The ministry said a special unit as well as helicopters and drones had been deployed to assist in the search.

Authorities said a Kosovar passport and a German identity card were later seized at the crime scene.

Over the past year, authorities have increased patrols along the border to curb illegal migrant crossings.

Loznica is also home to the controversial lithium mining project that has been the subject of controversy for years and this week received government permission to resume operations after a Supreme Court ruling overturned a suspension of permits granted for 2022.

Last year, Serbia was rocked by a series of consecutive mass shootings, including a deadly massacre at a school in the capital Belgrade that left 10 people dead.

According to the Small Arms Survey project, Serbia has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world: 39 firearms for every 100 civilians.

Following the shootings, President Aleksandar Vucic vowed to “disarm” the country with an ambitious plan to crack down on both legal and illegal firearms.

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