Warning: Article contains violence, and suicide.

A man in Bosnia shot and killed his ex-wife while streaming the slaying live on Instagram and then killed two other people while on the run before taking his own life on Friday, according to police and media reports.

The attack took place in the northeastern Bosnian town of Gradacac, where the assailant left three people wounded before he “committed suicide after being located and before being apprehended,” police in the city of Tuzla said in a statement.

Bosnia is still reeling from a bloody war in the 1990s and violence against women is widespread, but the ex-wife’s livestreamed slaying shocked people in the Balkan country.

Nermin Sulejmanović killed his ex-wife while 12,000 people watched on Instagram. Photo / @iron_bb24/Instagram

Prosecutors said that after killing her, the man went on to the streets of Gradacac with a pistol and shot and killed a man and his son. He also wounded a police officer, another man and a woman at various locations in the town.

“I have no words to describe what happened today in Gradacac,” said Nermin Niksic, the prime minister of the Bosnian Federation. “The murderer took his own life in the end, but no one can bring back the lives of the victims.”

Authorities did not immediately offer possible motives for the shootings. Officials and Bosnian media said the ex-wife had reported threats and violence from her partner in the past and that the shooter, identified by local media as Gradacac resident Nermin Sulejmanovic, had a police record.

The man posted a video on Instagram on Friday morning, telling viewers that they would see a murder live. The video then shows him taking a gun and firing a bullet into a woman’s forehead as the cry of a child is heard from somewhere nearby. The video was later removed from Instagram.

As police pursued the man, he livestreamed two more videos on Instagram, claiming to have shot at least two other people while on the run. Officials later said some 12,000 people watched the slaying live, and the video received 126 likes.

A plain-clothes police officer holds a rifle as they launched a major chase for a man who claimed to have shot and killed his wife while broadcasting it live on Instagram, in the small town of Gradacac, Bosnia. Photo / AP

“This is a huge shame for our society,” Bosnian Human Rights Minister Sevid Hurtic said. Hurtic noted that 19 women were slaying victims in 2020 and 2021; Bosnia has a population of 3.2 million.

Bosnian media said Sulejmanovic, 35, was a bodybuilder and fitness coach with past arrests on charges of drug smuggling and attacking a police officer.

Police said people who wrote supportive messages while clicking on the man’s Instagram posts Friday would be questioned and could possibly face legal consequences.

The UN’s resident co-ordinator in Bosnia, Ingrid Macdonald, was among those expressing shock at the day’s events.

“The United Nations stands horrified by the fact that the murder of a female victim was live-streamed via a social network, which is one of the latest in a streak of femicide and severe cases of gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Macdonald said.

She insisted Friday’s violence could have been prevented and called for “immediate collective action” to curb violence against women.

“We call on the authorities to resolutely commit to eradicating this heinous crime, and urge the international community, governments, civil society, and individuals to join forces to prioritise the eradication of femicide,” Macdonald said.

Bosnia remains tense and ethnically divided long after a 1992-95 war that killed more than 100,000 people and displaced millions.

FAMILY VIOLENCE

How to get help:
If you're in danger now:
• Phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.
• Run outside and head for where there are other people. Scream for help so your neighbours can hear you.
• Take the children with you. Don't stop to get anything else.
• If you are being abused, remember it's not your fault. Violence is never okay.
Where to go for help or more information:
• Women's Refuge: Crisis line - 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843 (available 24/7)
• Shine: Helpline - 0508 744 633 (available 24/7)
• It's Not Ok: Family violence information line - 0800 456 450
• Shakti: Specialist services for African, Asian and Middle Eastern women and children.
• Crisis line - 0800 742 584 (available 24/7)
• Ministry of Justice: For information on family violence
• Te Kupenga Whakaoti Mahi Patunga: National Network of Family Violence Services
• White Ribbon: Aiming to eliminate men's violence towards women.
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