Six Killed and at Least 15 Wounded in Shooting at Krakow’s Main Market Square
A 24-year-old Polish man drove into the square on Saturday afternoon and fired at random passers-by, police said. Officers shot and wounded the gunman, who was taken to a hospital for surgery.
Six people were killed and at least 15 wounded on Saturday after a gunman opened fire in Krakow’s Main Market Square, one of Poland’s busiest tourist sites, police said. The gunman, a 24-year-old Polish citizen, was shot and wounded by officers and taken to a hospital for surgery.
Police said the man drove a car into the square in the afternoon and fired at random people as he drove around it. Katarzyna Cislo, a spokesperson for Krakow police, told the broadcaster TVN24 that the gunman wore military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun. She described what happened as a “wild ride” around the square, which left people wounded at several locations.
Officers among the wounded
Two police officers were wounded by gunfire, and one is in a serious condition, Poland’s interior minister, Marcin Kierwinski, said in a post on X. The gunman was shot during a gunfight with officers a short distance from the square. Cislo said he kept firing at police even after he was shot. Police found many other weapons and ammunition in his car, and said he acted alone.
A tram driver reported at around 3 p.m. that his vehicle had been shot at by a man in a moving car near the square, Krakow’s municipal transport company said. The window of the tram driver’s cabin was shattered.
Reactions and context
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in a post on X that police were investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack, and he praised the officers who responded. President Karol Nawrocki said he was in contact with the authorities and awaiting a full explanation. Tom Rose, the U.S. ambassador to Poland, wrote on X that America stands with Poland “at this dark hour.”
Four women and two men were killed, police said. The motive has not been announced. Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland, though three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia in mid-October left one person dead and many wounded, including children. Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million. About 15 million tourists visit Krakow each year, most passing through the Main Square. Krakow is Poland’s second-largest city, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Warsaw.
Reporting based on coverage by the Press Association and Agence France-Presse.
