Six people were killed and 15 others were wounded Saturday afternoon when a gunman opened fire in Krakow’s Main Square, Polish authorities said.
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A gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon in Krakow, Poland, killing six people and wounding 15 others in the city’s Main Square, according to Krakow police.
Police said the suspect, a Polish citizen, aimed at random people as he drove into the square, a major tourist destination in the city centre. The victims included four women and two men, and police said officers were among those wounded.
Krakow police said the death toll had initially stood at five before being updated to six in a post on X. Police said the perpetrator was shot and wounded during a gunfight with officers a short distance from where the attack began.
Katarzyna Cisło, a spokesperson for Krakow police, said the gunman was wearing military-style fatigues and used a military-type long gun. She said police found many other weapons, as well as ammunition, in the suspect’s car. Cisło also said the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.
Polish interior minister Marcin Kierwiński wrote on X that two police officers were wounded by gunfire, with one officer in serious condition. Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter also landed in the square.
A representative for Krakow’s municipal transport company said a tram driver reported around 3 p.m. that his vehicle was shot at from a moving car while passing near the Main Square. The company said the tram driver’s cabin window was shattered.
Authorities said the attack happened against a backdrop of multiple gun-related incidents in Poland, where mass shootings are uncommon. 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.
More than 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, a country with a population of about 37 million. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said police were investigating Saturday’s attack on X, and Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.
The U.S. ambassador to Poland, Tom Rose, wrote on X: “We are just learning details of the horrific mass shooting in Krakow, a savage and murderous attack that’s shattered the peace of Poland. America stands with Poland at this dark hour as Poland stands with her beloved citizens of Krakow.”
Krakow is Poland’s second-largest city and about 250 kilometres (155 miles) from the capital, Warsaw. Police said roughly 15 million tourists visit Krakow annually, with most passing through the Main Square.
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