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Brkic in critical condition
Belgrade, December 13 (Tanjug) - Haris Brkic of the Partizan Belgrade
basketball club was shot twice in the head outside a sports hall in
downtown Belgrade late on Tuesday.
Brkic was immediately rushed to hospital, where the doctors are
fighting for his life.
Dr Vaso Antunovic of the Belgrade Neurosurgical Hospital told
TANJUG on Wednesday that Brkic, who is in intensive care after his
surgery, is stable.
"Brkic sustained grave brain injuries in last night's shooting,
and the nature and gravity of the injuries is such as to make
prognostications impossible at this time", Antunovic said.
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Yugoslav Basketball Star Shot
Belgrade, December 13 (AP) - Yugoslav basketball player Haris Brkic was
fighting for his life Wednesday after he was shot in the head after practice.
The 26-year-old Brkic was shot through his cheekbone and under an eye late Tuesday in front of a Belgrade arena after leaving a training session with his Partizan Belgrade club. His assailant fled, police said.
Doctors at the Belgrade emergency hospital said that they were fighting to save his life after Brkic lost a lot of blood.
Brkic, a Bosnian-born pivot player, was a part-time Yugoslav national player. He signed with Partizan after playing a season with the national champions, Buducnost Podgorica.
The motive for the attack was unclear. However, Belgrade media said the assailant shot Brkic after the athlete found him trying to break into his car.
Violent crime has been on the rise in Yugoslavia, with several recent killings or kidnappings involving prominent public figures. But Brkic is the first prominent sportsman to be shot.
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Partizan's Brkic 'critical' after shooting
Belgrade, December 13 (Reuters/Vecernje Novosti) - Yugoslav basketball player
Haris Brkic was in a critical condition after an unidentified
assailant shot him in the head on Tuesday, local media reported
on Wednesday.
The assailant approached Brkic and fired two shots in his
face from point blank range with a small-calibre hand gun when
the player tried to get into his car, the daily Vecernje
Novosti said.
Brkic was attacked after a training session in Belgrade's
Pionir hall with his club, Partizan Belgrade.
Officials at Belgrade's emergency centre said Brkic's
condition was stable after surgery but added his life was in the
balance, the newspaper reported.
"His heart and lungs are functioning but he will have to
fight for his life," they said.
The motive for the attack was not clear as police were not
immediately available for comment.
Brkic, a 26-year-old point guard, joined Partizan a week ago
for his second spell with the club. He was one of their leading
players from 1993 to 1999 before he joined Yugoslav champions
Buducnost Podgorica.
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As a sign of protest and of warning, all clubs in Winston YUBA League, together with the Yugoslav Basketball Organization have decided not to play matches of the ninth round, which were scheduled for December 16 and 17.
Due to the tragedy, the match in SuproLeague in Istanbul between Efes the host and Partizan, which was scheduled for Thursday December 14, was canceled.
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