Public anger in Shkodra after café shooting leaves two dead

Two people were killed and two others wounded in a Monday morning shooting at a café near Shkodra’s City Hall. The attack that has stunned the northern city and reignited indignation over a years-long feud between rival crime families and the failure of the justice system to put the ordeal to an end. Police arrested the suspected gunman, 29-year-old Ragip Gila, minutes after the assault.

Why is this important: Shkodra has endured a sequence of assassinations and attempts in recent years, many linked to the rivalry between the Bajri and Liçi crime organizations. Anger at the latest attack intensified after it emerged that the alleged shooter had been released from prison on probation six months ago. The killings come on the first school day, magnifying public outrage.

What happened: At around 08:50 on September 8, gunfire erupted outside a café near the municipality building. Investigators say the suspected target of attack was Erogen Brajoviç, a member of the Bajri clan.

Two people were killed and two wounded in the attack. Those killed include a former member of the Shkodra Municipal Council and the bodyguard of suspected target, Erogen Brajoviç, who died in hospital.

Erogen Brajoviç was also seriously injured after being hit by three bullets and was transferred to the Trauma Hospital in Tirana with injuries to major arteries. A 25-year-old waitress was also injured but she is reported to be out of danger.

Report TV video from the scene shows the wounded rushed into ambulances as a woman wails nearby. Police said the gunman fired in bursts, exited through a rear door, abandoned the motorcycle he had used to arrive, then carjacked at gunpoint a vehicle to flee. During the getaway he crashed into vehicles near the Skanderbeg neighborhood, ran on foot toward the Kir River, and was eventually captured by police “Eagle” units. An automatic firearm was seized.

The suspect and his release: Authorities identify the suspect as Ragip Gila, previously arrested in December 2023 in a case that included the seizure of a hunting weapon, combat ammunition, seven bullet-proof vests, masks and wigs, and narcotics. He was sentenced for drugs with a five years sentence that was then reduced to three years and four months via an abbreviated trial, while the illegal-arms count was dropped due to an annual amnesty. On March 4, 2025, the Shkodra court suspended his sentence and released him on a five years probation which requiring him not to commit offenses, to report to the Probation Service, to avoid association with convicted persons, and not to possess weapons.

A city on edge: Shkodra’s shock is compounded by familiarity. The feud between the Bajri and Liçi families has simmered for years, punctuated by deadly ambushes. In October 2024, the Dobraç massacre killed two members of the Liçi clan, while an innocent couple who happened to be passing by also lost their lives in a hail of bullets. Just four days before Monday’s attack a 34 year old man was shot dead a bar in another Shkodra neighborhood.

Police, meanwhile, raided residences linked to the Liçi family following the café shooting. As of the latest update no official link has been established between the Licis and this attack. Investigators have formed a working group to reconstruct the timeline and test possible connections to prior killings.

Political reactions. The mayor of Shkodra, Benet Beci condemned the crime and said he had contacted national authorities adding that the citizens of Shkodra do not deserve this.

The leader of the opposition, Sali Berisha delivered a blistering reaction, alleging the city is under criminal sway and blaming the government. However, several commentator pointed out that the feud between the two clans has been going on for many years, including the years when Berisha was in power.

Anger at justice system: Much of the public anger centered on the role of the courts and the fact that the suspect was set free. Commentators pointed to the probation decision and its conditions asking how, within months, this individual could reappear in the city center with two weapons and a bullet-proof vest and commit murder.