A 24-year-old gunman suspected of killing six people in central Kraków and three family members at his home has died early Monday morning in hospital, according to Polish police. The suspect was shot by armed officers within three minutes of opening fire in Poland's second-largest city on Saturday, preventing further casualties before being taken into custody under medical care.
The shooting spree began shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) in Kraków's crowded Main Market Square. Police identified the assailant as a 24-year-old Polish citizen but refrained from releasing his name. Following early investigative findings, a government minister stated that the gunman appeared to be an ultra-nationalist inspired by far-right ideologies.
Media reports in Poland noted that the suspect held a valid firearms permit and may have taken the weapons used in the attack from his family home.
Authorities confirmed that six individuals—four women and two men—were killed during the rampage in the square. Among the dead were four Polish citizens, one British national, and an Austrian woman.
Following the public attack, law enforcement officers searched the gunman's residence, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that officers discovered three additional deceased victims.
Police later identified the bodies as the suspect's 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother, and 21-year-old sister.
A total of 16 people were transported to hospitals, including five foreign nationals, two police officers, and the gunman himself. The interior ministry subsequently confirmed that the injured foreigners included citizens from Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal, and Russia.
Both wounded police officers, who were initially placed in medically induced comas, emerged from their comas on Sunday.
The emergency response in the square was immediately supported by bystander medical professionals. Professor Michal Pędziwiatr and his colleague, Dr Mateusz Wierdak, were dining near the Main Market Square when the shooting broke out and rushed directly to help.
Professor Pędziwiatr explained that because no ambulances or emergency teams were on the scene initially, they felt compelled to act immediately.
Dr Wierdak used his hands to stem heavy bleeding from the most severely injured police officer until paramedics arrived.
Witnesses in the area recounted widespread panic as gunfire echoed through the historic center. Ruby Catherine Warren, a visitor from London, said she alerted her companions to run and sprinted until they found safety inside a hotel. Tom Brook, a visitor from West Yorkshire who was inside a nearby McDonald's, described hearing multiple gunshots before seeing people scatter for cover.
Upon walking outside into the square, he observed paramedics treating a victim and saw a body covered in a foil blanket short distance away.
In response to the violence, Poland declared two days of national mourning. Prime Minister Donald Tusk traveled to Kraków and declared that the nation had not previously experienced such drastic cases of terrorism, describing the incident as a cruel attack on human life.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham expressed shock and sadness over the violence, offering condolences to the families of the dead and injured while reaffirming that the United Kingdom stands in solidarity with Poland.
Following the conclusion of initial evidence gathering, the security cordon around the Main Market Square was lifted and the area was reopened on Sunday evening.
