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Shooting in Krakow leaves 6 dead, more than a dozen injured
2 hours ago|Duration3:53
Six people were killed and 15 wounded after a gunman opened fire in a busy market square in Krakow, Poland, on Saturday afternoon, authorities said. The gunman, a Polish citizen, aimed at random people as he drove into the Main Market Square, a major tourist destination in the centre of the city, Krakow police said.
Six people were killed and 16 wounded after a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon in a busy market square in Krakow, authorities said, in what Poland’s defence minister called an “act of terror.”
The suspect, a 25-year-old Polish citizen, opened fire
The suspect, a 25-year-old Polish citizen, opened fire with an automatic weapon in the city’s Main Market Square, a major tourist destination.
Four women and two men were killed. Two police officers were wounded, one seriously, Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said on X.
At a news conference, Kierwiński said the suspect was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held “very radical views.” Authorities had earlier given his age as 24.
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the shooting
Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz called the shooting an “act of terror” on the people of Krakow.
Police found several weapons in gunman’s car
The perpetrator was shot and wounded during a gunfight with officers a short distance away from the initial violence, police said. The death toll earlier stood at five, but the Malopolska regional government updated it to six in a post on X.
Katarzyna Cisło, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, said the suspect was wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun in the attack. Police said they found many other weapons, as well as ammunition, in his car. He kept firing at police even after being shot himself, she said.
The attacker engaged in a wild ride around
The attacker engaged in a “wild ride” around the square, Cisło said, which is why people were wounded at several locations. Videos posted on social media by witnesses show people running away from the square to take cover on small streets nearby.
Cisło added that the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.
Krakow mayor Łukasz Gibała said the city will be in official mourning until Wednesday. He vowed that Krakow would remain open to visitors despite the tragedy.
“The square will belong to us again,” Gibała said in a video posted to X.
Emergency personnel speak to a person
Emergency personnel speak to a person at the site of the shooting near Krakow’s Main Market Square on Saturday.(Jakub Porzycki/Reuters)
It was not immediately clear whether the firearm used in Saturday’s attack, or the guns found in the suspect’s car, were legal. About 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising.
Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazoy wounded, including children
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post on X, praised the police officers who responded to Saturday’s tragedy. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.
Police officers stand guard at the site of the deadly shooting.(Jakub Porzycki/Reuters)
Images from the scene showed police officers and ambulances covering the area, and a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter also landed in the square.
A tram driver reported at about 3 p.m. local time that his vehicle was shot at from a man in a moving car while passing nearby the main square, the Krakow municipal transport company said. The window to the tram driver’s cabin was shattered.
An estimated 15 million tourists a year visit Krakow, the majority passing through the Main Market Square. The country’s second-largest city, Krakow is about 250 kilometres south of Warsaw, the capital.
