Dragan Milić, a doctor and leader of an opposition party in Serbia's third-largest city Niš, was the target of a shooting incident at his apartment on the night of March 22-23. Milić announced the attack on social media on March 24, saying that shots were fired at his residence while he was asleep.

The incident comes amid growing political tensions in Serbia, following the deadly collapse of a train station canopy in Novi Sad on November 1, 2024. The tragedy claimed the lives of 16 people and sparked months of anti-government protests, culimating on March 15, when an estimated 300,000 people gathered in the capital Belgrade. 

"I was sleeping in the bedroom in the apartment where I live in Niš, when someone shot at me with a firearm," Milić told independent news outlet N1. "The shooter was unlucky... A perfect shot that was going where the shooter wanted was stopped by quality joinery with thick glass."

The incident is under investigation, with a bullet-sized hole in the window of Milić's apartment serving as evidence of the attack. Milić thanked the authorities, including the police, forensic experts and the prosecutor's office, for their professional handling of the case. "The investigation lasted until the early hours of the morning," he added.

Milić, a well-known opposition figure, led his Citizens' Group in the local elections in Niš in June 2024, where they garnered significant voter support. His party, a vocal opposition force against the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), currently holds 16 out of 61 seats in the Niš assembly. 

The politician shared photos of the damaged window and images from the forensic investigation on his Facebook page. The photographs allegedly show that the bullet was fired at an angle that could have struck Milić in his bed. Milić does not view the attack as a mere warning, instead calling it an "assassination attempt". 

The shooting comes on the heels of heightened political tension in Niš. The day before, on March 21, an SNS event scheduled in the city was disrupted by protests. Demonstrators threw eggs at SNS officials, including at the Mayor Dragoslav Pavlović. Following this, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić referred to Milić as part of the "three evils in Niš", with some now suggesting that this could have incited the shooting.

Milić responded to Vučić's comments on March 24, linking them to the attack. "If you mention the 'troika of evil in Niš'... someone will hear it and say 'I want to get rid of that evil in Niš'," he said. "That vocabulary, big words, especially for people in positions of power, is inappropriate. We have to be very careful about what we say."

Vučić's rhetoric was a response to the unrest on March 21, when violence erupted in Niš after demonstrators clashed with police and SNS supporters. According to SNS officials, 12 people were injured, with one woman reportedly suffering head injuries from stones thrown during the confrontation.

Following the apartment shooting, Pavlović condemned the violence, emphasising the importance of "freedom and peace" as "supreme values that we desperately need now", as reported by local outlet Blic. Despite the calls for calm, the incident threatens to exacerbate an already fragile political climate.