Six people were killed and 15 wounded after a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon in a busy market square in Krakow, Poland, authorities said, AFP reports.
The gunman, a Polish citizen, aimed at random people as he drove into the Main Square, a major tourist destination in the center of the city, Krakow police said. Four women and two men were killed. Police officers are among the wounded.
The perpetrator was shot and wounded during a gunfight with officers a short distance away from the initial violence, police said. The death toll earlier stood at five, but police updated it to six in a post on X.
Katarzyna Cisło, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, told TVN24 that the perpetrator was wearing military-style fatigues and he used a military-type long gun in the attack. Police found many other weapons, as well as ammunition, in his car.
Cisło added that the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe. Polish media reported that the attacker is in his 20s.
Marcin Kierwiński, Poland’s interior minister, wrote on X that two police officers were wounded by gunfire and one is in a serious condition.
Images from the scene showed police officers and ambulances covering the area, and a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter also landed in the square.
A tram driver reported around 3 p.m. that his vehicle was shot at from a man in a moving car while passing nearby the main square, the Krakow municipal transport company said. The window to the tram driver’s cabin was shattered.
Around 15 million tourists visit Krakow annually, the majority passing through the Main Square.
Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October 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 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post on X, said police are investigating Saturday’s attack. And Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.
“We are just learning details of the horrific mass shooting in Krakow, a savage and murderous attack that’s shattered the peace of Poland,” Tom Rose, the U.S. ambassador to Poland, wrote on X. “America stands with Poland at this dark hour as Poland stands with her beloved citizens of Krakow.”
Krakow is the second-largest city in Poland and roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the capital, Warsaw.
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20:49
A gunman shot dead five people and wounded more than 10 on Saturday in the main square of the southern Polish city of Krakow, police said, before they shot and arrested him, Reuters reports.
The injured included two police officers who were hurt in a shootout with the attacker, who police said wore "military-style" clothes. Police said they started to receive 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.
Unverified footage shared on social media showed people fleeing the scene as shots and police sirens rang out. Other video showed people lying on blood-spattered paving stones and bystanders trying to resuscitate them.
"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.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X he was being kept informed about the incident in the historic centre of Krakow, Poland's second-largest city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction.
"The man was wearing military-style attire," a police spokesperson told reporters, adding: "During the arrest, officers used their weapons, but the man returned fire; as a result, two police officers are among the injured".
"The perpetrator was shot by police officers and is currently being transported to a hospital," police said on X.
Poland's President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, those affected, and their families.
***
19:19
Two people were killed and at least 10 were injured in a shooting near the main market square of Krakow in southern Poland, Reuters reports.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that police are investigating a shooting and that he was being informed by the interior ministry.
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