Krakow Shooter Kills Six in Main Square; Parents and Sister Found Dead at Home
Prosecutors opened a terrorist investigation into the 24-year-old man who drove into a crowd and opened fire, while authorities recovered 11 firearms from the scene and the suspect's residence.
By Nikolai Morales ·
Six people died and 15 others were wounded in Krakow, Poland, after a gunman drove a car into a crowd and opened fire in the city's Main Square. The attack occurred in the Old Town, a major tourist area in Poland's second-largest city. Police shot and wounded the 24-year-old attacker, who continued firing even after being hit, according to Krakow police spokesperson Katarzyna Cislo.
Regional Gov. Krzysztofe Kleczar confirmed that four of the six victims were Polish citizens. The other two killed were a British man and a woman from a foreign country that officials had not yet identified. Among the 15 wounded were visitors from Britain, Portugal, Russia, Germany, and Austria. Two police officers who engaged the shooter were also injured and remained in hospitals on Sunday. One officer was in a coma, while the other had regained consciousness. Officials requested blood donations for the more seriously injured officer.
Authorities paused the traditional hourly trumpet call from St. Mary's Basilica tower overnight in tribute to the victims. This marked the first time the call had been missed since World War II. Witnesses described fleeing into nearby shops for safety. Neil Thaxton, a British visitor, said employees locked the doors of a gift shop where he and his wife hid. Marie-Ange Collaer, visiting from Brussels, wrote on Facebook that her family managed to hide from the bullets.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski described the attacker's views as radical and ultranationalist. He stated that evidence indicated the suspect had a fascination with far-right ideologies. Prosecutors opened an investigation for murder and attempted murder, including attacks on police, which they classified as a terrorist offense. The suspect remained in critical condition on Sunday after undergoing several surgeries. Police had not released his name.
Authorities discovered the bodies of the suspect's parents and sister at their family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, located about 93 miles northeast of Krakow. Police said the three likely died from gunshot wounds. The attacker's father legally owned more than 10 guns, and the suspect also held firearms. Local officials seized seven weapons from the family home. Police recovered four firearms from the scene of the attack, bringing the total number of guns recovered to 11.
The shooting club where the attacker reportedly trained issued a statement saying it offered only static shooting. The club noted that the suspect was never trained in dynamic, tactical, or combat shooting at their facility. Kacper Rekawek, a researcher at the International Center for Counterterrorism in The Hague, compared the attack to recent far-right lone wolf incidents in Europe. Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland, a country of 37 million people where approximately 411,000 individuals hold gun permits.
Interest in gun ownership has been rising in the country. The attack represents a grim first in modern Polish history. The suspect's military-style clothing and bulletproof vest were noted by police at the scene. The chaotic scene included videos of people running into small streets and first responders resuscitating victims. The investigation continues to determine the specific affiliations of the attacker, though authorities have not disclosed if he belonged to an organized extremist group.
