Gavrilo Princip fired the shot that started World War I when he killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand . The Serbian leader has been accused of being a war criminal by some Western leaders and is currently on trial in Serbia. Only those 20 years of age or older on the day of the offense could be executed . He was a high school student when he carried out the assassination , in Sarajevo . He got close to his victim purely by chance , and only fired one shot .
Gavrilo Princip fired the shot that started World War I when he killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand . The Serbian leader has been accused of being a war criminal by some Western leaders and is currently on trial in Serbia. He was a high school student when he carried out the assassination , in Sarajevo . He got close to his victim purely by chance , and only fired one shot .