A Bosnian body builder live-streamed a shooting rampage, along with his murder-suicide via the social media platform Instagram on Friday, the New York Post reported.
Nermin Sulejmanovic, 35, filmed a series of videos documenting his violent murder sprees, killing three people and injuring an additional three people in the town of Gradacac in the country's northeastern region.
Sulejmanovic took to Instagram early Friday, posting a video on the platform with an announcement: "they would witness a live execution," according to the New York Post.
After posting the video, he turned the camera to his ex-wife, whose face was evident of injuries, both bloodied and disfigured, according to Serbian news outlet Telegraf.
“Look, when you’re dealing with a whore who reports you to the police,” he announced to viewers in the clip. The Post also reported that a child could allegedly be heard crying in the background.
12,000-plus people had tuned in for a live viewing of the murder, officials later said. The now-deceased Sulejmanovic announced to followers that he was displeased by his ex-wife's attempts to keep the child from crying.Before pointing the gun and shooting his ex-wife in the forehead, he asked viewers if they were watching.“Here, watch the murder live now, nice and easy… Are you watching?” Sulejmanovic said directly to the camera.
He quickly pointed the camera to the child laying on the ground, adding, “Here, someone come and save the child.”
Not only did he post two more videos via Instagram live while police were in pursuit, he told viewers of other murders he had just committed of two other people off-camera - a man and his young son.
Sulejmanovic, a bodybuilder and fitness instructor, injured three other people including a police officer during the chase. He subsequently took his own life.
Bosnian prime minister responds
“I have no words to describe what happened today in Gradacac,” said Nermin Niksic, the Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“The murderer took his own life in the end, but no one can bring back the lives of the victims.” Local police in Tuzla added that Sulejmanovic's suicide came shortly after being caught but just before being apprehended by police forces.
Though authorities did not immediately identify the official motivation for the crime, they did confirm that his ex-wife, whose identity remains private, had reported him for violent threats and acts in the past. He also had a criminal record, detailing involvement in gangs, drug smuggling, and attacking law enforcement officers.