Horrifying scenes in Krakow

“People took off their shirts to help the victims”

In Kraków, six people were shot and numerous others were injured. One of the wounded victims is from Austria.(Bild: AFP/WOJTEK RADWANSKI)

The Polish city of Krakow is in a state of shock following the far-right attack in the middle of the market square. Eyewitnesses describe the horrific moments, but also the courage shown by many: “People took off their shirts to stop the bleeding of those lying on the ground,” said one of many who had to watch assix passersby wereshot on Saturday. Numerous people were injured—including one person from Austria.

“We heard loud bangs. It sounded a bit like someone was setting off fireworks,” an eyewitness told the website onet.pl. Suddenly, a crowd rushed toward the entrance of a building. According to police, Michal O. (24) is said to have fired indiscriminately at passersby from a moving car on Saturday afternoon in the center of Poland’s second-largest city. Six people died, more than a dozen were injured, and many remain in critical condition.

Shooter Stopped Within Minutes
The police responded extremely quickly: Just three minutes after the emergency call was received, officers fired shots at the suspected shooter, as Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński emphasized. “I was in the store when the shots were fired,” said a witness. “I saw the attacker being taken into an ambulance.” O. was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

Shocking scenes unfolded in downtown Kraków on Saturday.(Bild: AP/Beata Zawrzel)

The gunfire plunged Kraków into a state of emergency. In front of the shooter’s car, “a crowd of Kraków residents and tourists was moving,” described an Onet journalist who had spoken with owners of nearby businesses. “Behind this crowd was a man in a dark car who was shooting indiscriminately at passersby.” 

“There was a lot of noise,” reported a witness. About a quarter of an hour after the shooting, he saw a victim being resuscitated. “The man was lying there covered with a rescue blanket. A city guard was standing next to him,” the eyewitness said. “No one knew what was going on. People were screaming and running in all directions.”

Police emptied bullets from a backpack
Another eyewitness described the scenes at Kraków’s market square as “shocking.” The shooter was lying “wounded on the ground.” “As we were leaving, a police officer began emptying bullets from a backpack that probably belonged to the attacker,” the witness said.

Three Bodies Found at the Shooter’s Home
A total of nine people were killed: Six were shot in the city center, and the bodies of three others—according to unconfirmed information from onet.pl, O.’s parents and sister—were found at O.’s home.

Injured from several countries—including Austria
Five of the 15 injured are reportedly foreigners, including one person each from Austria and Germany, as well as a 74-year-old Portuguese woman, according to the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and one person from the United Kingdom, according to the BBC. The Russian Embassy in Poland stated that a Russian national was injured.

Call for blood donations for police officers fighting for their lives
Among the injured are also two police officers, both of whom are seriously injured. The volunteer fire department called for people to donate blood. One of the officers, who had only recently joined the police force, was shot three times, is fighting for his life, and urgently needs blood. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski and Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek highlighted the extraordinary courage of the two police officers—they had “confronted a terrorist armed with an automatic weapon, engaged him in a firefight, and stopped the killer with their own bodies. Immeasurable heroism.” 

Gentlemen, you must win this battle; all of Poland stands behind you.

Justizminister Waldemar Zurek auf X zu den angeschossenen Polizisten, die operiert werden mussten. 

Several Coachmen Hit by Gunfire
The president of the Kraków Carriage Drivers’ Association announced that two carriage drivers were in critical condition and several others had suffered serious injuries. Two horses were also shot during the attack at the market square. “One was only slightly grazed; the other was hit in the leg,” reported the organization “OTOZ Animals.”

A tram was also hit; a window in the driver’s cab was shot through. Fortunately, no one was injured in that incident.

A two-day period of national mourning is in effect on Sunday and Monday.