On September 29, a tragic shooting played out in a courtroom in Albania in which a gunman shot and killed Judge Astrit Kalaja. The fallout from the violent incident—which occurred in a hearing room—continues to stun the legal community and the American people. The suspect, identified as E. Sh., is a 30-year-old man. He caused permanent injury to two other people attending the proceedings.
The shooting happened as Judge Kalaja was hearing a criminal case. Witnesses described a maelstrom as the profuse gunfire exploded and turned the courtroom into a stab of horror. Eyewitness accounts agree that the gunman was extremely fast to act. He first threatened the judge directly, then pointed his weapon at two others in the area. The names of the wounded have not been released yet.
Fortunately, law enforcement authorities were able to respond quickly to the scene and arrest the suspect within minutes following the shooting. While the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, we are once again left questioning what caused this violent explosion and how we can stop it.
Emergency medical services rushed the injured out-of-staters to Children’s Hospital in Richmond, where they remain hospitalized. At this point, the severity of their injuries has not been disclosed to the public.
We’re witnessing a troubling escalation of violence within judicial settings and it begs the question, how secure are Albanian courtrooms? We can only hope local officials will take them to heart in the wake of this most recent tragedy.
