
Aleksandër Kola, the shepherd of the hut where Violand Braçellari was hiding, the perpetrator of the murder of the "Eagle" Forces officer Enea Mekolli and the wounding of his colleague Edison Adri, has given his testimony.
Kola told investigators that Braçellari always received phone calls warning him of suspicious movements in the area.
He says that he started working in Bode at the Braçellari farm in mid-May 2026, after being offered a monthly salary of around 1,200 euros to do the work of a shepherd.
According to him, Braçellari constantly carried a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a double-barreled shotgun with him.
In his testimony, Kola emphasizes that whenever Braçellari received a call warning him of suspicious movements in the area, he would often flee towards the mountain. A few days before the incident, Braçellari had even fled with a gun after being notified that unknown vehicles were approaching the camp.
Kola also mentions another moment, which is precisely his conflict that occurred on June 3, 2026.
Kola stated that he had asked to leave for a few days due to his mother's health condition, but the request was rejected by Braçellari. According to him, the argument escalated into insults, threats and physical violence, while he claims that Braçellari pointed a gun at him several times, threatening to kill him.
Kola further stated that he left the camp in fear, taking his personal belongings with him after seeing many suspicious things that threatened his life. After leaving the camp, Kola filed a police report, which became one of the elements that led to the organization of the operation to capture Braçellari.
How did the incident happen?
The serious incident occurred on the morning of June 4, when the Police services surrounded the house where the wanted person, Violand Braçellari, was suspected of hiding. The 43-year-old was sentenced in 2017 to 9 years, 11 months and 7 days of imprisonment by the Korça Court, for the criminal offense of "Production and sale of narcotics", while in 2011 he was sentenced to the security measure of "Arrest in prison", for the criminal offense of "Cultivation of narcotic plants".
The Police Services called on the wanted person to come out and surrender, but he did not obey the Police call and opened fire on the Police officers, resulting in the death of the Police officer, Inspector Enea Mekolli, 34, and the injury of the Police officer, Inspector Edison Adri, 36. In order to neutralize the wanted person's attack, the Police Services responded with firearms and as a result of the exchange of fire, Braçellari himself was also injured.