Gunman opens fire in Polish city, killing 6 people and injuring 15

KRAKOW, Poland (AP) — Six people were killed and 15 wounded after a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon in a busy market square in Krakow, Poland, authorities said.

The gunman, a Polish citizen, aimed at random people as he drove into the Main Square, a major tourist destination in the center of the city, Krakow police said. Four women and two men were killed. Police officers are among the wounded.

The perpetrator was shot and wounded during a gunfight with officers a short distance away from the initial violence, police said. The death toll earlier stood at five, but police updated it to six in a post on X.

Katarzyna Cisło, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, told TVN24 that the perpetrator was wearing military-style fatigues and he used a military-type long gun in the attack. Police found many other weapons, as well as ammunition, in his car.

Cisło added that the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe. Polish media reported that the attacker is in his 20s.

Marcin Kierwiński, Poland’s interior minister, wrote on X that two police officers were wounded by gunfire and one is in a serious condition.

Images from the scene showed police officers and ambulances covering the area, and a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter also landed in the square.

A tram driver reported around 3 p.m. that his vehicle was shot at from a man in a moving car while passing nearby the main square, the Krakow municipal transport company said. The window to the tram driver’s cabin was shattered.

Around 15 million tourists visit Krakow annually, the majority passing through the Main Square.

Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, 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.

Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million, and interest in gun ownership has been rising.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post on X, said police are investigating Saturday’s attack. And Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.

“We are just learning details of the horrific mass shooting in Krakow, a savage and murderous attack that’s shattered the peace of Poland,” Tom Rose, the U.S. ambassador to Poland, wrote on X. “America stands with Poland at this dark hour as Poland stands with her beloved citizens of Krakow.”

Krakow is the second-largest city in Poland and roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the capital, Warsaw.

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Ciobanu reported from Warsaw, Poland and Dazio reported from Berlin.