salas family shooting
U.S. District Judge Esther Salas has made her first public statement since a "monster" gunman killed her 20-year-old son Daniel and left her husband, Mark Anderl, in critical but stable condition.

On Monday, Salas released an emotional video in which she talked about the July 19 violent attack and how the incident has impacted her life.

"Two weeks ago, my life as I knew it changed in an instant, and my family will never be the same. A madman, who I believe was targeting me because of my position as a federal judge, came to my house," she said.

"My family has experienced a pain that no one should ever have to endure. And I am here asking everyone to help me ensure that no one ever has to experience this kind of pain. We may not be able to stop something like this from happening again, but we can make it hard for those who target us to track us down."


Salas, who noted that the addresses of federal judges can be found online, revealed that the gunman was able to access her location and other personal information. As a result, Salas is calling for the protection of others in her position from having to go through the same ordeal.

"Now, more than ever, we need to identify a solution that keeps the lives of federal judges private. I know this is a complicated issue, and I don't pretend to know or have all answers, but together, together we can find a way," she said.

"Let's commence a national dialogue. Let's work collaboratively to find a solution that will safeguard the privacy of federal judges. Let me be clear and tell you firsthand — this is a matter of life and death. And we can't just sit back and wait for another tragedy to strike."

NJ.com reported that officials have identified the shooter as Roy Den Hollander, who previously had presented a case before Salas. Hollander also shared sexist and racist posts against Salas on his website.

The self-proclaimed anti-feminist lawyer was found dead in Rockland County, New York, a day after attacking Salas' family with what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officials have not made a statement regarding the motive of Hollander's attack.