Five people have been killed and around a dozen injured, including two police officers, after a man drove onto Krakow's Main Market Square and opened fire, according to Małopolska Police. The suspect was shot by police, detained, and taken to hospital.
Attack on Rynek Glowny
In a statement shared on social media, Małopolska Police said a man drove onto Krakow's Main Market Square, Rynek Glowny, at around 3pm and started "firing at random people from his car." Residents were seen fleeing amid the panic and have been instructed to avoid the area.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk called it a "tragic shooting" and said he is being "kept informed by the Minister of the Interior" of the investigation into its motive and circumstances. "The police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack."
Witness accounts and response
Paramedics were seen treating victims near St. Mary's Basilica, and an air ambulance helicopter was sent to the square. Speaking to daily newspaper Gazeta Krakowska, one person recalled: "My wife called. She works at the Main Square. She said someone was shooting a gun in the square. People started running into the shops in panic. Then, apparently, a policeman shot someone."
An eyewitness, Alexander, also told tabloid Fakt: "We were walking to a store and heard gunshots. Suddenly, we turned around, and people started running. Tourists from other countries didn't know what was happening. We heard about 20 shots, ran into the store, the lady closed the door, and we waited a moment. I've never witnessed such panic. People were running into stores to hide."
He added to TV Republika that he saw the shooter driving a black Subaru, with another witness having seen him "loading his machine gun." "I don't think he was firing blindly; these were deliberate shots," they speculated. "He had a sort of police mask on and goggles on. Then he shot at the church and fled towards Grodzka Street. Everyone was running away from there, people in horse-drawn carriages."
Context and rarity
Public shootings are rare in Poland, due to gun laws being stricter than in other countries, such as the United States. Modern firearms require a police-issued permit based on a specific, documented reason. Krakow is the second-largest city in Poland, and the historic Rynek Glowny is at the heart of the city's Old Town.
