TIRANA, Albania (BN24)— A high-profile judge was fatally shot inside a courtroom in Albania’s capital on Tuesday after a man opened fire moments after a verdict was delivered in a heated property dispute case.
Judge Astrit Kalaja, 53, was presiding over the hearing at the Court of Appeal in Tirana when the suspect, identified by police as 30-year-old Elvis Shkëmbi, allegedly drew a pistol from his belt and shot the judge multiple times at close range.
Kalaja was rushed to the hospital but died en route, according to Albanian state police. Two other individuals, reportedly a father and son involved in the trial, were also shot but survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities arrested Shkëmbi at the scene and also detained his uncle, who was a defendant in the case, as well as a 63-year-old court security officer accused of failing to follow basic safety protocols.
According to police, the gunman and his uncle were allowed to remain in the courthouse lobby for nearly an hour before the trial began. The suspect passed through a metal detector, which was triggered. Still, the officer identified only as “BK” allegedly failed to conduct a physical search or log their entry in the court’s official record book.
In a statement, police said Shkëmbi pulled out the weapon immediately after the verdict was read, shooting the judge and then turning the gun on the plaintiffs. He later exited the courtroom and handed the firearm to a court clerk.
Investigators believe the attack was premeditated. The suspect’s uncle, police added, “did not take any action to stop his nephew’s criminal actions,” raising suspicions that he may have been an accomplice or instigator in the killing.
Prime Minister Edi Rama condemned the attack, calling it a “criminal aggression” against the judiciary and promising “the most extreme legal response toward the aggressor.” Rama also called for a review of court security nationwide and stricter penalties for illegal firearm possession.
Albania’s General Prosecutor Olsian Çela warned that the killing was not only a personal tragedy but a blow to the integrity of the legal system. “This event strikes at the very foundation of justice and the functioning of the legal system,” he said.
Judge Kalaja, a veteran of Albania’s legal system with over three decades of experience, was appointed to the Tirana Court of Appeal in 2019.
While rare, deadly courtroom shootings have occurred elsewhere in Europe. In 2015, a gunman killed a judge, a lawyer, and a co-defendant during a trial in Milan’s Palace of Justice before fleeing and later being arrested.
Albania has seen a worrying trend of firearm-related violence in public settings. A UN-backed regional monitor reported that from January to June of this year, the country recorded 43 firearm incidents tied to public disputes, more than any other Balkan nation.
As the investigation unfolds, Tuesday’s attack has reignited urgent calls for reform in Albania’s judicial security and broader questions about gun control in a nation grappling with rising public violence.
