The gunman suspected of killing six people in central Krakow and three family members at their home died in a hospital early Monday morning, Polish police said. The 24-year-old Polish man was shot by police officers within three minutes of opening fire in the city's Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon. He had been hospitalized with injuries sustained during a gunfight with responding officers.
Polish prosecutors said Monday that investigations into the suspect's motive remain ongoing, walking back earlier statements by a government minister who described the gunman as inspired by far-right ideologies and ultra-nationalism. Przemysław Nowak, a spokesperson for Poland's National Prosecutor's Office, told reporters the motive inquiry continues. The suspect has not been officially named.
The attack killed four Polish citizens, a British national, and an Austrian woman in the Main Market Square. Police later found three bodies at the gunman's home, identified as his 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother, and 21-year-old sister. Authorities seized four firearms from the suspect's car, including two AR-15 rifles and two handguns, along with several hundred rounds of ammunition. Polish media reported the suspect held a firearms permit.
Sixteen people were hospitalized after the shooting, including two police officers who were injured during the gunfight with the suspect. A surgeon who was eating nearby when the attack began rushed to the scene and helped treat victims before ambulances arrived. Professor Michał Pędziwiatr said his colleague used his hand to stem bleeding from a severely injured police officer, and that intervention undoubtedly saved the officer's life. Both wounded officers have since emerged from comas.
Poland declared two days of national mourning following the attack. Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited Krakow and said the country had not previously experienced such drastic terrorism.