A federal judge released a heart-wrenching video Monday responding to a shooting at her New Jersey home that killed her son and injured her husband last month. In the video posted on YouTube, U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas detailed her son's last words and made a plea for greater privacy protection for public servants.
"While my husband is still in the hospital recovering from multiple surgeries, we are living every parent's worst nightmare—making preparations to bury our only child, Daniel," she said.
Salas said Daniel Anderl, a student at Catholic University, had just celebrated his 20th birthday at their family home with friends and was chatting with Salas in their basement July 19. “And Daniel said 'Mom, let's keep talking. I love talking to you, Mom.' It was at that exact moment that the doorbell rang, and Daniel looked at me and said, 'Who is that?'” the judge said.
"And before I could say a word, he sprinted upstairs. Within seconds, I heard the sound of bullets and someone screaming, 'No!'"
Salas said she later learned that “this monster,” a man who had a FedEx package in his hand opened fire, “but Daniel being Daniel protected his father, and he took the shooter’s first bullet directly to the chest.” “The monster then turns his attention to my husband and begins to shoot at my husband one shot after another,” Salas said. “Mark (Anderl) was shot three times. One bullet entered his right chest. The other left his left abdomen, and the last one, the right forearm.”
Roy Den Hollander, a 72-year-old who described himself as an anti-feminist attorney, was identified as the suspected gunman and later found dead on July 20 in Rockland, New York, USA Today reported. Authorities told the newspaper he is believed to be the gunman in a separate attack that earlier killed a fellow attorney in California.
"My family has experienced a pain that no one should ever have to endure,” Salas said. “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.
"In my case, the monster knew where I lived and what church we attended and had a complete dossier on me and my family. At the moment, there is nothing we can do to stop it, and that is unacceptable," she said. "My son's death cannot be in vain, which is why I am begging those in power to do something to help my brothers and sisters on the bench."