Another fatal shooting has been recorded in the Dukagjin area of Shkodra, where the victim was Aleksandër Koçeku, about 40 years old. While the full version of the incident remains unclear, relatives of the victim say he had long been involved in a blood feud known for years, one that, according to them, “the entire state knows about,” and for which one person is already in prison.
Ambush on the road from Kir toward Prekal
According to information published so far, Koçeku was traveling from Kir in Dukagjin toward Prekal, before continuing on to Shkodra. Near the village of Lin, he was shot several times with a firearm and died at the scene.
Based on how the incident has been described, the first suspicions are that the perpetrators had been waiting for the victim’s movement and chose a mountainous stretch of road with little traffic. However, the full circumstances and the dynamics of the attack remain to be clarified by the official investigation.
Family links the killing to a blood feud
Relatives of Aleksandër Koçeku link the killing to an old conflict. The victim’s cousin, Mark Koçeku, said it was a clash that, according to him, has long been known to the institutions as well.
According to him, “It is a conflict that the whole state knows about, everyone knows about it. He was being watched. It is a conflict that you also know about. We have one person in prison over that matter because he owed someone blood.” The relative also added that the victim worked at a bakery in Shkodra.
Connection to an earlier killing
According to published information, the victim is the brother of Artan Koçeku, who is in prison for the murder of citizen Angjelin Shkambi in December 2017.
This detail strengthens the lead of retaliation linked to the old conflict, but at this stage these remain claims and indications put forward by family members, not an official conclusion of the investigation.
Questions that remain for the institutions
The relatives’ statements once again raise questions about the knowledge and response of institutions in cases of known conflicts. If, as the relatives claim, this was a conflict that had been known for years, it remains to be seen what measures had been taken to prevent another execution.
So far, there has been no full public clarification regarding the perpetrators, their movements, and whether the victim had sought protection or had been considered a person at risk. The investigation is expected to clarify whether this is a continuation of a chain of retaliatory killings.
The killing of Aleksandër Koçeku once again brings attention back to unresolved conflicts in the north and to the state’s failure to neutralize them before they produce more victims.
For the moment, the blood-feud motive remains the version put forward by the family, while the main answers are expected from the official investigation.