Wife told how Ivan Milačić complained to her that someone was following him and noticed a black jeep with Nikšić plates

It is truly fortunate that there were no more casualties when, on July 19, 2025, at around 11:50 p.m., on the terrace of the "Taormina" restaurant, on Svetozara Markovića Street, in Podgorica, Nikola R. Petrović shot and killed Ivan Milačić in Podgorica with several shots. At the time he opened fire, in addition to Milačić, there were other people at his table, one of whom was seriously injured after being shot in the head. In addition to them, there was a risk that passers-by would also be injured. During the investigation, about ten nine-millimeter caliber shells were found in the coffee bar.

This follows from the allegations in the indictment filed by State Prosecutor Irena Burić at the Higher State Prosecutor's Office in Podgorica, against the defendant Nikola R. Petrović. The evidence collected shows that the defendant committed the criminal offense of "aggravated murder under Article 144, item 3 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro and the criminal offense of illegal possession and carrying of weapons and explosives under Article 403, paragraph 3 in conjunction with paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro.

In the prosecutor's investigation, the defendant Nikola Petrović exercised his legal right and did not present a defense.

From the testimony of the injured party Kriszina Milačić, it follows that she and her sister Iva Čađenović arrived at the "Taormina" bar at around 11:30 p.m. and sat at the table with her husband Ivan Milačić, Vladimir Jovović, Strahinja Raonić, and two girls unknown to her.

After 15 minutes, Raonic noticed someone coming in and putting a hood over his cap, which she later found out, and when he saw that, he gave Ivan a sign and said to him: "Ivan". Then he looked in the direction of that guy, and then Ivan turned, suddenly stood up but that guy started shooting at them, and that guy shot Ivan maybe three times and he fell. She started towards that guy shouting at him, so that guy also shot at her, but she somehow got out of the way.

She also saw that he had wounded Raonić in the forehead. She does not remember exactly how many shots were fired, but she states that there were quite a few, and when she turned around again, she saw that this guy had a black cap on his head, and a dark hood over it, and that she saw this guy's face and remembered his eyes and eyebrows well. When she looked at his picture on the portals, as well as on the news when he was arrested, she states that she is sure that he was the one who shot. The witness stated that this person /Petrović/ started to walk away at one point, then returned, approached Ivan and fired three to four shots at him, and then ran away in the direction of "Plavi dvor". She also stated that in the last two days her husband had complained to her that someone was following him and that he had told her that he had noticed a black jeep with Nikšić plates, with two people in it, which had entered the street where they lived, and that he did not know who these people were.

The injured party witness Strahinja Raonić said that he was with Vladimir Jovović, Ivan Milačić, Kristina Milačić, and her sister Iva that evening, as well as Monika Kovačević and Maša Ašanin, and that he was typing a message on his phone and saw someone running in and starting to shoot at them. He immediately got up from his chair and lost consciousness. The next thing he remembers is waking up and that the ambulance and the intervention unit were there. He states that when he woke up, he saw that Ivan was dead and that he had suffered head injuries.

Witness Monika Kovačević stated that she came to the aforementioned bar with Maša Ašanin that night.

"When the waiter approached our table, the killer started shooting at us," she said, adding that she bent down and pulled Maša after her. When he stopped shooting, she saw Ivan on the floor with no signs of life, while Strahinja was lying on the floor covered in blood on his forehead.

"There were certainly more than 10 shots, and at the moment he started shooting, I saw that the first bullet hit Ivan in the head, and I think the bullet hit him while he was sitting on a chair," said witness Monika Kovačević.

Witness Maša Ašanin said that she came to the aforementioned bar with Kovačević Monika. When the waiter approached them, a person approached from behind the Ivanovs and started shooting in Ivanov's direction.

"I saw Ivan fall," she said, adding that when this guy started shooting, Ivan turned and got up from the chair, and this face was shooting, and there were 15-17 shots.

"She saw that this person who was shooting had a black cap on his head and was wearing a black sweatshirt with white writing on it," she said. She thinks he fired 10 bullets at Ivan, then started shooting at the rest of them randomly, and that the person stopped for a moment, then started shooting randomly again.

Witness Iva Čađenović stated in her testimony that she and her sister Kristina Milačić came to the "Taormina" bar, where they sat at a table with Ivan Milačić... At one point she heard shots and Ivan jumped off his chair, and then someone pushed him to the floor, where she remained until everything was over. That night Kristina told her that Ivan had been following a black jeep two or three days before, and that he had seen them in front of their house.

Witness Vladimir Jovović stated that he was sitting with Ivan Milačić, and when he was facing Iva Čađenović, with whom he was talking, Strahinja Raonić grabbed his hand and said: "Godfather, they're shooting at us". He didn't even manage to raise his head when Raonić grabbed his hand and together they ran towards the Basic Court, and as they ran he kept hearing shots. He also remembers that Raonić said at one point: "Here, watch him" and he thinks he said that to Milačić.

Witness Nikola Lekić's testimony indicates that he was working as a waiter on the second shift that evening. When he came to Vladimir Jovović's table at around 11:45 p.m. to collect the bills, and when he put his phone down on the table next to that table, he saw the guy who was later killed /Ivan Milačić/ suddenly flinch. He heard gunshots and someone saying: "Run."

From the testimony of witness Radoja Martinović, it follows that he was sitting inside the "Taormina" bar that evening when he heard several shots coming from the direction of the bar's garden, and he saw the waiter running towards the inside of the bar, and he saw Jovović and Nikola Lekić running towards the sidewalk in the direction of the Basic Court, while he saw Raonić staggering over the chairs, and he entered the bar covered in blood, and that he asked to call an ambulance and that he had been shot in the head.

The indictment states that on July 19, 2025, at around 11:50 p.m., on the terrace of the "Taormina" restaurant, on Svetozara Markovića Street, in Podgorica, Nikola Petrović intentionally killed Ivan Milačić and, in doing so, intentionally endangered the lives of the injured parties Raonić Strahinja, Rakočević Katarina, Jovović Vladimir, Milačić Kristina, Čađenović Ivo, Ašanin Maša, Kovačević Monika and Lekić Nikola. Approaching the table on the terrace of the aforementioned restaurant, at which the injured party Milačić Ivan was sitting together with the injured parties Raonić Strahinja, Jovović Vladimir, Milačić Kristina, Čađenović Ivo, Ašanin Maša and Kovačević Monika, and next to whom the injured party Lekić Nikola was standing, he then fired several bullets from a pistol in the direction of the injured party Milačić, who on that occasion sustained life-threatening bodily injuries from which he died. The defendant fled until July 22, 2025, when he was arrested by police officers in Sutomore.

Convicted of assaulting an official in the performance of official duty

The defendant was previously convicted twice by the Basic Court in Podgorica, for the criminal offense of assault on an official in the performance of official duty and the criminal offense of theft, i.e. for criminal offenses with elements of violence. As well as by the Basic Court in Podgorica for the criminal offense of destruction and damage to another's property and by the Basic Court in Podgorica for the criminal offense of facilitating the use of narcotic drugs, which clearly indicates that he is a person who is prone to committing criminal offenses. He is a repeat offender in committing criminal offenses, the prosecutor states in the explanation of the indictment.

There are some combinations, we'll talk about them.

Witness Dino Šainović said that on the night of 19/20 July 2025, at around 03:00, Nikola Petrović called him via the Instagram app and asked him to meet. He said that he couldn't because he was sleeping, so they met the next day and talked about the money that Nikola owed him. He said that he didn't have anything to pay him back now, but that he would soon. He also stated that Nikola told him that he had some combinations, and that they would talk, in the sense that they would talk.

Video footage reveals how the murder was committed

By reviewing the video footage taken from the premises, it is possible to see the defendant's movements before and after the commission of the criminal offenses, how and in what manner the crime in question was committed, and the moment when he walks down the street where he leaves his backpack, which was found during the investigation, and then continues walking along the inner part of 13. jula Street, without the backpack, and in the direction of 13. jula Street. It is also possible to see what he was wearing before, during and after the commission of the crime.