“You have devastated our region.” These were the first words spoken by Lazër Bashi, the man who was injured in the attack in which Prelë and Lekë Gjoni, father and son, were shot dead in the Dukagjin area.
Të lidhura
None found
Bashi survived the barrage of bullets and, wounded in the shoulder, walked around two kilometres in search of help.
According to his testimony, Bashi happened to be sitting in the back of the vehicle with Prelë and Lekë Gjoni when they came under fire.
The attackers are suspected of using two weapons, a Kalashnikov and an MP5, firing more than 50 bullets.
At the time of the attack, Bashi lay down inside the vehicle and was hit by a bullet in the shoulder. He remained hidden for several minutes, until the attackers left the scene.
The vehicle had lost control and overturned onto one side. After making sure the attackers were no longer there, Bashi managed to get out of the vehicle, taking his mobile phone with him.
However, the area where the attack took place had no mobile signal. For this reason, the wounded man walked for around 40 minutes through difficult mountainous terrain, covering nearly two kilometres on foot.
Phone call
As soon as he reached a café near the junction where the Pult road connects with the road to Shosh, Bashi called a relative. The first words he said were: “You have devastated our region.”
He then explained that he had been in the vehicle with Prelë and Lekë Gjoni and that the two men had been killed on the spot.
Bashi washed the blood flowing from his wound at a fountain near the café and then waited for transport to Shkodër Regional Hospital.
Because of the considerable loss of blood, he was later transferred to the Trauma Hospital in Tirana for more specialised treatment. He is currently out of danger.
Police still without suspects
Shkodër Police and the Prosecutor’s Office are continuing their investigation to identify those responsible for the double murder and the wounding.
So far, no person has been identified as the perpetrator of the incident. Officers have brought in several people for questioning, but there is still no concrete information about their responsibility.
The main lines of investigation include Lekë Gjoni’s divorce around three months ago and a conflict that took place several years ago.
However, the family members have said they are unaware of any recent conflict.
Prelë and Lekë Gjoni were returning from their former home in Dukagjin, where they also kept several beehives, heading towards Shkodër. They were ambushed on Xhani Road.
Lekë Gjoni worked with a truck, transporting construction materials and an excavator in the Dukagjin area. According to information made public, he was not known as a problematic person and moved freely around the area.
The difficult mountainous terrain, the lack of a mobile signal and the fact that the area is not monitored by security cameras have significantly complicated the investigators’ work.
Police and the prosecution are continuing to collect evidence and question people who may have information about the incident, with the aim of fully solving the double murder and identifying those responsible.
