Six people were killed and 15 others were wounded on Saturday afternoon when a gunman opened fire in a crowded market square in Krakow, Poland. Authorities identified the attacker as a 24-year-old Polish citizen who drove into the Main Square, a major tourist destination in the city center, and aimed at random individuals.
Krakow police confirmed that four women and two men lost their lives in the incident. Poland’s interior minister stated on social media that two police officers were also injured, with one suffering serious wounds. The death toll was initially reported as five but was later updated to six by police in a post on the platform X.
Katarzyna Cisło, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, described the attacker as wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest. She noted that he used a military-type long gun during the assault. After the initial volley, police discovered numerous other weapons and ammunition inside the suspect’s vehicle. According to Cisło, the gunman continued firing at officers even after he had been shot.
The police spokesperson explained that the perpetrator took part in a wild ride around the square, which resulted in casualties at several different locations. Witness videos shared online captured people fleeing the area to take cover on small adjacent streets. Cisło added that the gunman acted alone and that the general public is now safe.
The shooter was taken to a hospital for surgery after being wounded during a gunfight with officers a short distance from the initial site of the violence. It remained unclear immediately after the event whether the firearm used in the attack or the additional guns found in the car were legally owned. Poland, a nation of 37 million people, has approximately 411,000 gun permit holders, and interest in owning firearms has been increasing in recent years.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in Poland. However, the country experienced a series of incidents in mid-October when three attacks occurred at schools in the central province of Mazovia within a four-day span. Those events left one person dead and many others, including children, injured.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the response of the police officers who handled the Saturday tragedy in a social media post. President Karol Nawrocki also issued a statement, expressing that his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded, and their families.
Scene images showed police officers and ambulances covering the area, while a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter landed in the square to assist with medical efforts. The Krakow municipal transport company reported that a tram driver was struck by gunfire around 3 p.m. The driver’s vehicle was passing near the main square when a man in a moving car shot at it, shattering the window to the driver's cabin.
Krakow, the second-largest city in Poland, attracts around 15 million tourists annually. The majority of these visitors pass through the Main Square, which serves as a central hub for sightseeing and commerce in the historic city center.
