Poland observed national mourning Sunday following the deadly shooting in Krakow’s Main Market Square a day earlier, when a 24-year-old gunman opened fire and killed six people. Candles and flowers laid near the scene overnight still covered parts of the famous square Sunday morning as security forces maintained a presence in an effort to reassure the public. After police raided the home of the suspected gunman, Michał O., and found three bodies there, investigators confirmed Sunday that they were his father, mother and sister. Polish media reported that authorities suspect he also shot them dead.
The shooting began at around 3 p.m. local time Saturday. Footage showed the gunman opening fire from a moving black car before getting out and continuing to shoot. He killed six people, four women and two men, and wounded 15 others. Two police officers confronted him and exchanged fire with him, managing to stop him within minutes, but both were wounded. During the attack, the gunman wore a helmet, body armor and military-style clothing, although authorities said he had never served in the Polish military.
Footage of yesterday’s shooting spree in Krakow
Gallery
Suspected gunman Michał O. lies on the ground after being shot and stopped by police in Krakow
(Photo: REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki)
(Photo: AP Photo/Beata Zawrzel)
The attacker was identified in Polish reports as Michał O., a resident of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, around 140 kilometers from Krakow. Reports said he was influenced by far-right ideology and held what officials described as “very radical” and “ultra-nationalistic” views. Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz described the attack as an act of terror, while prosecutors said they were examining terrorism-related offenses. The precise motive, however, remains unclear.
Authorities said one British citizen was among those killed, while five foreign nationals were among the wounded, from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain. The two officers who confronted the attacker were also shot. One of them, senior police officer Jakub Kulik, was critically wounded after being hit three times, and doctors were fighting to save his life. In one video circulated after the attack, an officer can be seen repeatedly firing at the gunman as he lies on the road before the officer himself collapses moments later. Polish police appealed Sunday for blood donations for Kulik and his fellow officer. Public officials praised both men as heroes whose intervention prevented an even greater loss of life.
(Photo: REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki)
Krakow police said numerous weapons and large quantities of ammunition were found in Michał O.’s car in addition to the firearm used in the attack. Wirtualna Polska reported that he held a firearms license for sporting purposes and was a member of a shooting club in Starachowice. His father, 53-year-old Janusz O., belonged to the same club and had 11 firearms registered in his name. Authorities have not yet established whether the military-style rifle used in the massacre was registered to the father or the son, had been modified or was obtained illegally. The car used in the attack belonged to the father.
Neighbors of Michał O. and his family expressed shock that he was suspected of carrying out the massacre. They told Polish media that the 24-year-old was quiet, withdrawn and polite and rarely spoke, describing the family as peaceful and saying they knew of no serious problems inside the home. Police said the three relatives found dead were his 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother and 21-year-old sister. All three had what investigators preliminarily identified as gunshot wounds. Polish media reported that investigators suspect Michał O. killed them before traveling to Krakow. The suspect himself remains hospitalized after being shot by police, and investigators are waiting for medical approval before questioning him.
Krakow, in southern Poland, is the country’s second-largest city, with around 1.5 million people in its metropolitan area. One of Poland’s oldest cities, it is also a major tourist destination, with its historic center designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Around 15 million people visit Krakow each year, and most pass through the Main Market Square, where Saturday’s attack took place and where the 14th-century Gothic St. Mary’s Basilica stands.
Mass shootings are extremely rare in Poland. Around 411,000 people hold firearms licenses in the country of roughly 31 million, although interest in gun ownership has been rising in recent years.