Krakow shooting suspect dies in hospital after six killed in city attack

A gunman suspected of killing six people in Krakow has died in hospital, police in Poland have confirmed.

Four women and two men were killed in the shooting in Krakow’s Main Square on Saturday afternoon, with 16 others injured, including two police officers.

The death of the suspect, a 24-year-old Polish national, was confirmed by the Krakow Police in a post on X.

Four of the victims were Polish, one was British and one was Austrian. Five foreign nationals from the UK, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria were among the wounded.

Authorities also found three dead bodies at the suspected gunman’s family home in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 93 miles north-east of Krakow.

Police said on Sunday they were the bodies of his sister, mother and father, and they are believed to have been shot.

A man holds a candle as he stands at the main square in Krakow, Poland / Credit: AP

The suspect gunman is believed to have been inspired by “far-right ideologies” and had been admitted to hospital after being shot by police.

A blood appeal was announced on Sunday for senior police constable Jakub Kulik, who is fighting for his life in hospital after suffering serious injuries in the attack.

The force said Kulik and his colleague Artur Morański were hit by close-range fire when they confronted the suspect. Both men are under 30.

They had both been in a coma, but had regained consciousness by Sunday afternoon, the police said.

Police privacy screens are installed in a cordoned off area after a shooter opened fire in a market square in Krakow / Credit: AP

“Senior Constable Jakub Kulik and Senior Constable Artur Morański are true heroes. They likely saved many lives, without regard for the risk of losing their own,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

“Their condition is serious, but they are receiving excellent care. All of Poland is rooting for you.”

“If it weren’t for the efficient and selfless intervention of these two young men, the number of victims could have been significantly higher,” Krzysztof Jan Klęczar, the Malopolska regional governor, said.

Michał Pędziwiatr and Mateusz Wierdak, two local surgeons who were eating nearby, were praised for helping to save the lives of the wounded officers.

“Without protection, without gloves, he simply focused on the officer, stopping the bleeding in his chest. This probably saved his life,” Pędziwiatr said of Wierdak to Polish news site Onet.