Poland in shock: six dead, 15 wounded in Krakow Main Square shooting

A gunman firing from a car killed six people and wounded 15 in the Main Square of the southern Polish city of Krakow on Saturday, officials said. Police shot and arrested the suspect, who they said was a 24-year-old Polish citizen.

Four women and two men were killed. Police first reported five dead, then updated the toll to six in a post on X. Two police officers were also wounded in a shootout with the alleged attacker, one of them seriously, according to Poland’s interior minister.

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Police said they began receiving reports at around 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) that an assailant had opened fire from a car and shot randomly at people in the square, in Poland’s second-largest city and a popular tourist destination.

Krakow police said on X that the alleged gunman was a Polish citizen, adding: “The only known perpetrator of the incident is in police custody”. They did not mention a motive.

Police said the suspect was shot and wounded in a gunfight with officers a short distance from the initial violence and was taken to hospital for surgery.

Katarzyna Cislo, a Krakow police spokesperson, said the attacker wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun. “The shooter was wearing military-like clothes and used military weapons. Many … weapons and ammunition were found in his vehicle too,” she said. She added that he kept firing at police even after being shot himself.

Witnesses describe panic as police intervene

Cislo said the attacker made a “wild ride” around the Main Square, which is why people were wounded at several locations. She said the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.

Unverified footage shared on social media showed people fleeing as shots rang out and police sirens blared. Other video showed two people lying on blood-spattered paving stones, with bystanders trying to resuscitate them, and a third person motionless on the ground nearby. The footage also showed shooting as traditional horse-drawn carriages, popular with tourists, passed through or were parked nearby. A man could be seen taking cover in one of the restaurants and cafes lining the square.

“I saw shots being fired from the driver’s side window, and smoke was coming out. I ran to the police station in the main market square; when I burst inside, it was full of people hiding on the floor,” a man who gave his name only as Konrad, and witnessed the shooting, told news website Interia.

The Krakow municipal transport company said a tram driver reported around 3 p.m. that his vehicle was shot at by a man in a moving car while passing near the main square. The window of the driver’s cabin was shattered.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski praised the officers who responded. “Police officers in Krakow intervened, risking their own lives. They acted immediately. Thanks to their heroic conduct, the assailant was quickly apprehended,” he said on X.

“One officer sustained a gunshot wound, while another is in very critical condition with three gunshot wounds. Surgery is currently underway,” he added.

Images from the scene showed police officers and ambulances covering the area, and a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter landed in the square.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X he was being kept informed about the incident in Krakow’s historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A government spokesperson said he later headed to Krakow from Warsaw. Tusk also praised the responding officers. President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.

It was not immediately clear whether the firearm used in the attack, or the guns found in the suspect’s car, were legal. Around 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. In mid-October, however, three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children.

Around 15 million tourists visit Krakow each year, the majority passing through the Main Square.