A courtroom hearing turned violent this morning when a man opened fire during an appeal.
Judge Astrit Kalaja was presiding over the property dispute case when a man opened fire and later died from his injuries while being rushed to the hospital in Tirana.
The shooter, a 30-year-old man named with the initials ‘E Sh’ was arrested quickly and is in custody, a statement said.
Local media have named the shooter as Elvis Shkëmbi.
A father and son, part of one of the parties in court, were also shot and taken to the hospital. Their condition is stable.
The shooting has been slammed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, who said tougher sentencing needs to be enforced for gun-related crimes.
‘The criminal aggression against the judge undoubtedly requires the most extreme legal response toward the aggressor,’ he added.
Albania’s general prosecutor Olsian Çela said: ‘Beyond the heartbreaking loss of one life and the injury of two others, this event strikes at the very foundation of justice and the functioning of the legal system.’
Judge Kalaja had served in his position for three decades, joining the Tirana Court of Appeals in 2019.
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