The gunman, who was shot by police on Saturday, died early on Monday after several operations. Prosecutors say the same person is believed to be responsible for three further deaths at his family home.
The suspect in Saturday’s shooting in Krakow, Poland, has died in hospital, police have announced. Six people were killed when he opened fire in the city’s Main Square, including a 32-year-old British man, and 16 people were injured, among them another Briton. Malopolska Policja said on X that the perpetrator “died in hospital early this morning”. Prosecutors are also investigating the deaths of three members of his family, which they believe were carried out by the same person.
The suspect’s death
According to the Polish outlet LoveKraków, citing the University Hospital in Krakow, the man died at about 4.30am on Monday 9 November. Police confirmed the death on social media but did not initially give a time.
He had undergone several operations after being shot by police on Saturday. Regional governor Krzysztof Jan Klęczar said on Sunday that he remained in critical condition and was being treated at one of Krakow’s six hospitals. His death does not change the number of people killed in the market-square attack, which stays at six. The suspect and the three relatives found dead at the family home are counted separately.
Public broadcaster TVP identified him as Michał O., a 24-year-old resident of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. He reportedly held a sporting firearms licence and had no previous criminal record.
The victims
Four women and two men were killed, local officials said. Three of the women and one of the men were Polish. Sky News, citing Mr Klęczar, reported that the British man was 32. His name has not been confirmed publicly. The other victims included three Polish women, aged 47, 53 and 61, a Polish man of about 50, and a 51-year-old woman who was later identified as Austrian. Authorities are continuing the formal process of identification and notification.
Sixteen people were hurt, including the perpetrator. Five foreign nationals were among the injured, from Britain, Austria, Germany, Portugal and Russia, according to TVP Info. The governor’s latest detailed update, on 8 November, said one police officer was in serious condition and 14 other hospitalised people were stable.
Police officers who stopped the attack
Two officers, named as Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, were shot while confronting the attacker and underwent surgery. Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said on Sunday that both had been brought out of medically induced comas. One officer suffered three gunshot wounds, Sky News reported. Reuters reported that an off-duty doctor gave lifesaving treatment to one of the wounded officers on the street before paramedics arrived.
Deaths at the family home
Investigators identified the three people found dead at the suspect’s family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski as his parents, aged 53 and 52, according to the Associated Press, and his 21-year-old sister. The town is about 150 to 160 kilometres north-east of Krakow. Police found the bodies while looking into the gunman’s background after Saturday’s attack.
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the three deaths alongside the Krakow shooting. Prosecutors have said the evidence gathered indicates the same person committed both sets of killings, which is a preliminary conclusion and not a court finding.
Firearms and licensing
ABC News Australia reported that investigators recovered 11 firearms: four from the suspect or his vehicle and seven from the family home. Polish authorities said both the suspect and his father held firearms permits. Investigators are examining the weapons and how they were obtained. The Associated Press reported that authorities have not publicly established that any weapon was acquired illegally or that a failure in licensing allowed the attack to happen.
Terrorism investigation
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office opened proceedings concerning a terrorist offence on Sunday 8 November. The investigation covers the six killings, the attempted murder of others including police officers, and the three deaths at the family home.
Mr Kierwiński said preliminary evidence suggested the attacker held radical ultranationalist views associated with the far right, though he stressed that investigators were still examining his motive, Reuters reported. The opposition politician Przemysław Czarnek challenged the minister’s interpretation and asked for the evidence to be disclosed. Mr Kierwiński maintained his remarks but stressed that no definitive conclusion had been reached.
The Associated Press reported that authorities have not identified any organised terrorist group linked to the gunman. The evidence so far suggests he acted alone, although investigators are continuing to reconstruct his contacts and preparations.
Mourning and security
Poland declared 8 and 9 November national days of mourning, with flags lowered and official commemorations. Krakow’s city authorities extended local mourning until Wednesday 11 November. The Main Market Square reopened late on Sunday after police investigations, and residents and tourists gathered to leave candles and flowers, Reuters reported. St Mary’s Basilica suspended its hourly trumpet call for 12 hours in tribute to the victims. According to the Polish news agency PAP, it was the first such suspension since 1939.
Police added security measures in Warsaw and other Polish cities, including barriers on streets leading to Krakowskie Przedmieście, a busy historic area of the capital, Reuters reported.
The British government confirmed that a UK national was among the dead and that other British nationals were injured. The Polish Embassy in London issued a statement condemning the attack and thanking emergency responders. The UK Foreign Office advised British nationals in Krakow to follow local authorities’ instructions and monitor local reporting, ITV News reported.
