A black flag on the police building, obituaries pasted on pillars and shop windows in the city center. That’s how Krapina met the morning after a tragedy that this town does not remember. There was only one lantern burning in front of the murdered policeman’s house. Krapina is still recovering from the shock that hit her early Sunday morning, when he was killed in a cafe inside the market square. Robert Grilechead of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Krapina-Zagorje Police Department. Č the man, described by his colleagues as a top professional, was killed in the place where, as previously announced, he had come for morning
According to the information known so far, Grilec ordered coffee. Then MG, his neighbor from Bobovje, a small village in Krapina, entered the bar. According to witnesses, everything happened in a few seconds. Attacksč fired three shots at the policeman, and then left the cafe without a word and tried to judge himself. Seriously injured, he was transported by helicopter to the KB Dubrava in Zagreb, where he is in the intensive care unit. His condition is a little more stable, but his life is still in danger.
Investigators are trying to shed light on the motives of this brutal murder, and new details are emerging from sources close to the investigation, which show that the suspect is older. was known to the police. Several criminal and misdemeanor charges were previously filed against him, and he possessed the weapon with which he committed the crime illegally.
As it is unofficially known, a few days before the murder of Grilec, he was reported by another policeman from Krapina. In the application, he stated that MG had been following him in a car for days since the beginning of May. The situation escalated on May 7 when, according to the report, he drove his car into the yard of his house and then ran away.
According to the same sources, the police worked on that case, and unofficially we learn that the investigation into that case is still ongoing. Since Grilec and the suspect were neighbors and knew each other well, the investigators do not rule out the possibility that the motive lies precisely in the criminal investigation related to threats and stalking of another police officer.
Even a day after the tragedy, there is shock among the residents of Krapina. People stop on the street and almost everyone we talked to asks themselves the same question – how could something like that happen.
– I really have no words, no words. I really missed Roberta – said a shaken neighbor who lives across the street from the killer’s house.
When asked if he had noticed anything unusual in the suspect’s behavior in recent days, he replied that everything looked completely normal. He added that he never had any problems with him.
– No, never – he answered briefly when asked if he experienced any inconvenience.
Although he says that they were on good terms, he admits that he still kept a certain distance, they did not hang out. He also recalled that the suspect was a participant in the Homeland War.
– He was supposedly sick, he was in the war. Everyone talked so much that he was not himself – said the neighbor. He also emphasized that he had never heard of conflicts between Grilec and the suspect.
– I never heard. I mean, I believe he would have told me something about it because he was like that. He liked to talk to me, but he never mentioned such things – he added.
Another neighbor stated that before there were no major problems that would point to a tragedy. However, he recalled a police search on suspicion of possessing a weapon that once disturbed the neighborhood. During the search, he was present as a witness, as required by the procedure. However, as the neighbor said, the police did not find anything during that search. Another resident of Bobovje briefly described the relationship between the murdered policeman and the suspect.
– They played together as children. They did those stupid things. I can’t believe that something like this is happening. “I never had a problem with any of them,” he said.
After the murder, Minister of the Interior Davor Božinović arrived in Krapina, who said that the attack on the policeman was not just an attack on one person.
– Police officers responsibly protect the safety of all our citizens every day and are often exposed to risks that most people never even see. In this case, the police launched an investigation in order to consider all the circumstances of this tragic incident. The institutions, the police, the Ministry of the Interior, we all stand in these difficult moments & firmly with the family of the fallen colleague, but also with all the police officers who do their job & safely, responsibly and dedicatedly – said Božinović.
A day later, the head of the Krapina-Zagorje PU Kristijan Suša also spoke.
– Colleague Robert was awarded the Memorial of Homeland Gratitude exclusively because of his results in the performance of official duties, professional attitude towards work, towards colleagues, towards parties. We can wrap up the story by saying that this is an extremely high-quality police officer and person – he said.
The condolence of the family was also expressed by Krapina-Zagorje župan Žjko Kolar.
– This is shocking and unprecedented in Krapina-Zagorje County. Robert’s life cannot be returned, it is a great loss for the police department as well. It is extremely important to establish all the circumstances and to restore peace in the Krapina-Zagorje County, because according to statistics, we are the safest county in the Republic of Croatia. In other words, it didn’t happen again – said Kolar.
He added that the safety of citizens is not threatened, but the feeling of security is.
– This is unpredictable, I don’t know what measures should be taken to prevent this kind of thing. The system should be constantly upgraded, and not be a topic only when a tragedy happens – he said. At the same time, the criminal investigation continues. The search of the house, the cottage and the car used by the suspect lasted for hours, and everything was attended by his official lawyer Neven Antić. He confirmed that the killer’s mother, who formally owns the house, also took part in the search. As she says, she was in shock because of everything that happened.
– Č I met with the hospital, he is still in serious condition, he had two operations – the lawyer told us briefly.