A mass shooting in rural Lithuania that killed nine civilians and raised questions about ethnic violence before mental illness was confirmed as the cause.
Key Facts
- Date
- February 15, 1998
- Perpetrator
- Leonardas Zavistonovičius, age 58
- Civilians killed
- 9
- Civilians wounded
- 1
- Perpetrator's fate
- Beaten to death at the scene
- Location
- Širvintos District Municipality, Lithuania
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Leonardas Zavistonovičius, a 58-year-old Polish resident of the village of Draučiai, was later found to have suffered from severe mental illness. Initial speculation arose that ethnic tensions between the Polish perpetrator and Lithuanian victims may have motivated the attack, though this was ultimately disproven.
On February 15, 1998, Zavistonovičius carried out a shooting spree in Draučiai, a small village in Širvintos District Municipality, Lithuania, killing nine civilians and wounding one more before residents beat him to death.
An official investigation concluded that severe mental illness, not ethnic or political motivation, drove the attack. The findings dismissed early speculation about hate-motivated violence, though the incident drew attention to questions of ethnic relations and public safety in rural Lithuania.