A British couple in Krakow, Poland, heard around 20 shots and watched about 250 people running towards them after a gunman opened fire in the city's Old Town, an attack that left six people dead and at least 16 injured.
Linda and Matt Berry, from Birmingham, were in the main square, Rynek Główny, at around 2.30pm on Saturday before walking 10 minutes south towards Wawel Castle. The shooting began at about 3pm, when a gunman fired at “random people” from a black Subaru SUV he had driven into the square. The three-minute-long attack killed four women and two men, including a British citizen.
Witnesses describe panic and gunfire
“It was quite strange; we didn't know what was happening, and then when we heard later, of course, it was very, very sad,” Linda said. “We did not really know what was happening at the start, so we were not afraid at the time. Very relieved after that we had just missed it.”
Matt added: “We heard shots; we saw people running, about 250 people running that way. Then the black car followed by two police cars went past us at the castle, and then more shots. “But yes, really, really sad, really sad. Our first day in Kraków yesterday and just so sad.”
Bystanders told the Polish newspaper Fakt that tourists from “many different countries” fled the popular destination. Aleksander said people ran into stores to hide as police barricaded the streets, adding: “I've never witnessed such panic.”
Suspect identified and arrested
Other witnesses told TV Republika that the suspect drove the Subaru onto Szewska Street before opening fire at a Zara store and a nearby church. “I don't think he was firing blindly; these were deliberate shots,” one added. “He had a sort of police mask on and goggles on.”
The gunman is believed to be a 24-year-old Polish man identified as Michał O, a military cadet from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, a town 80 miles north east of Kraków. The shooting involved an AR-15-style rifle, a civilian version of a military-style gun, and ammunition was recovered inside the vehicle. He fled the scene in the car but was apprehended near Dietla and Stradomska Streets after crashing. The accused was shot by police after exchanging gunfire, which injured two officers.
Officers praised and motive unclear
Senior Constable Jakub Kulik and Senior Constable Artur Moranski were described by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk as “true heroes”. “They faced a terrorist firing an automatic weapon, exchanged fire with him and stopped the killer with their own bodies,” added Waldemar Żurek, the justice minister.
One of the injured fell into a coma but woke up this afternoon, TV Republika reported. The motive for the shooting remains unclear. Officials have described the alleged perpetrator as “fascinated by far-right ideologies”. Officers found the bodies of the suspect's parents and sister at his home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski today. Locals described Michał to Fakt as an “aloof” man who “always” wore black. “He's a little strange. He never spoke. If he did speak – which was rare – he'd just say hello,” one told the tabloid. “Otherwise, he'd keep his hood pulled over his head.”
