A 30-year-old man shot and killed Appeals Court Judge Astrit Kalaja inside a courtroom at Tirana’s Court of Appeal on Monday, October 6, 2025, during a hearing over a property dispute. The gunman also wounded two other participants in the trial before fleeing the scene.
Judge Kalaja died while being transported to the hospital after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Police identified the suspect by the initials “E. Sh.,” though Albanian media named him as Elvis Shkëmbi. The 30-year-old defendant opened fire immediately after a verdict was announced, using a pistol he had concealed on his belt.
The gunman also shot a father and son who were plaintiffs in the property case. Both men were rushed to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening and remained in stable condition. After the shooting, Shkëmbi allegedly left the courtroom and handed the pistol to a court clerk before attempting to flee.
Police arrested the suspect after he ran from the scene, and also arrested the gunman’s uncle, who was a defendant in the case, and a 63-year-old security guard identified as “BK.” Police indicated the security guard failed to properly check the two men when they entered the building, despite them setting off a metal detector.
The security officer did not physically search the suspects or register them in the required protocol book where all courthouse visitors must be recorded. This security lapse allowed Shkëmbi and his uncle to remain in the courthouse lobby for nearly an hour before the hearing began. Police suggested the uncle may have been aware of the plan to kill the judge, noting he took no action to stop his nephew’s attack.
Prime Minister Edi Rama described the incident as tragic and called for stricter courthouse security measures and harsher penalties for illegal weapon possession. Rama stated the judge’s killer should face “the most extreme legal response.”
President Bajram Begaj condemned the killing as a terrible attack against the entire justice system. General Prosecutor Olsian Çela noted that beyond the loss of life and injuries, the event strikes at the foundation of justice and the legal system’s functioning.
Judge Kalaja had worked as a lawyer for more than 30 years before his appointment to Tirana’s Court of Appeal in 2019. Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha stated this marked the first time in 35 years that a judge had been murdered while performing his duties, calling it a moment for deep reflection by Albanian society.
The incident highlights ongoing security challenges in Albanian courts, which have faced significant backlogs since sweeping judicial reforms began in 2016 with support from the European Union and the United States. Tens of thousands of cases have been delayed for years as part of these extensive changes to the justice system.
Albania recorded 213 firearm-related incidents between January and June 2025, according to data from the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. Of these, 43 involved firearms in public disputes, representing the highest number among Balkan nations during that period, though fewer than the same timeframe in 2024.
Under Albanian law, illegal gun possession carries a penalty of up to three years in prison. Following Monday’s shooting, all trials at the Court of Appeals were suspended, with only sessions for issuing security measures continuing.
Courtroom shootings targeting judges remain rare but have occurred in other European countries. In 2015, a man on trial for bankruptcy in Milan’s Palace of Justice shot and killed a judge, a lawyer, and his co-defendant before escaping. The gunman, Claudio Giardiello, hid in the courthouse for over an hour before fleeing on a motorbike and traveling 15 miles before police arrested him.