A 30-year-old man shot and killed an appeals court judge inside a courtroom in Tirana, Albania, on Monday, October 6, 2025, during a property dispute hearing. Judge Astrit Kalaja died while being transported to the hospital after the attack at the Court of Appeals.
The shooter, identified by police as E. Sh., opened fire with a pistol immediately after a verdict was announced in the property case. Albanian media named the suspect as Elvis Shkëmbi. The gunman also wounded two other people involved in the hearing—a father and son who were plaintiffs in the case—though their injuries were not life-threatening.
According to police reports, Shkëmbi shot Kalaja several times using a pistol he had concealed in his belt. After shooting the judge, he turned the weapon on the two plaintiffs before leaving the courtroom and handing the pistol to a court clerk. The suspect fled the scene but was later arrested along with the revolver believed to have been used in the attack.
Three arrests were made in connection with the shooting. Police detained the shooter’s uncle, who was also a defendant in the case, based on suspicions that he was aware of the plan to kill the judge and may have served as an instigator or assistant. A 63-year-old security guard was also arrested for allegedly allowing the two men into the building despite setting off a metal detector.
The security officer, referred to by authorities as “B.K.,” failed to physically check the men or register them in the required protocol book where all people entering or leaving the Court of Appeals must be recorded. This security lapse allowed the suspect and his uncle to remain in the lobby for nearly an hour before the hearing began.
Kalaja, 63, had served as a lawyer for more than 30 years before being appointed to Tirana’s Court of Appeals in 2019. The judge was presiding over what local press described as a property dispute case when the fatal shooting occurred.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama described the incident as tragic and called for enhanced security measures within the country’s courts. Rama indicated that “the criminal aggression against the judge undoubtedly requires the most extreme legal response toward the aggressor.” He also advocated for harsher punishments for illegal weapon possession.
President Bajram Begaj condemned the killing as a terrible attack against the entire justice system. General Prosecutor Olsian Çela noted that beyond the heartbreaking loss of life and injuries, the event strikes at the very foundation of justice and the functioning of the legal system.
Opposition Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha stated that Kalaja’s murder marked the first time in 35 years that a judge had been killed while performing his duties. Berisha called for deep reflection by Albanian society regarding the incident.
The shooting highlights ongoing security concerns in Albania’s judicial system. Following the attack, all trials at the Court of Appeals were suspended, with only sessions for issuing security measures continuing to be held.
Gun violence remains a significant issue in Albania. Between January and June 2025, there were 213 firearm-related incidents in the country, according to data from the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons. Of these incidents, 43 involved firearms in public disputes, representing the highest number among Balkan nations during that period.
Under Albanian law, illegal gun possession carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison. The incident occurs against the backdrop of Albania’s ongoing judicial reforms, launched in 2016 with support from the European Union and United States, which have resulted in significant court backlogs with tens of thousands of cases delayed for years.
While rare, courtroom attacks on judges do occur internationally. In 2015, a similar incident took place at Milan’s Palace of Justice in Italy, where a man on trial for bankruptcy shot and killed a judge, a lawyer, and his co-defendant before escaping and being arrested later.
The investigation into Monday’s shooting continues as Albanian authorities work to understand the full circumstances surrounding the attack on Judge Kalaja and the security failures that allowed the gunman to bring a weapon into the courthouse.
