The gunman who killed six people in Kraków’s Main Market Square on Saturday has died in hospital, Polish police confirmed early on Monday 9 November.
According to Małopolska Police, writing on X, the man responsible for the “tragic events” died early on Monday morning. Regional governor Krzysztof Jan Klęczar told broadcaster TVN24 that he died at about 04:30 local time, after undergoing at least three operations since officers shot him to end the attack.
The 24-year-old Polish man, named in Polish media as Michał O., had been in a critical condition since Saturday afternoon. Police said he was shot within three minutes of the attack beginning, a rapid response officials credited with preventing further deaths.
Terrorism investigation continues
Poland’s National Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into murder and attempted murder, treating the attack as a terrorist offence. According to Brussels Signal, prosecutors said the suspect’s death would not halt the inquiry, which would examine his motives.
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said the gunman “acted with the aim of seriously intimidating a large number of people, making this a terrorist offence.” Prime Minister Donald Tusk also called the shooting an act of terrorism, according to reports from the weekend.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński told a news conference that “everything indicates that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies.” Police have described the suspect as a member of a sport shooting club from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.
Nine victims in total
Six people were killed in Kraków — four women and two men, including one British national. A further three people, the gunman’s father, 53, mother, 52, and sister, 21, were found dead at the family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Police confirmed on Sunday that the three were his parents and sister.
Prosecutors are investigating the Kraków killings and the deaths in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski as part of the same case. The gunman’s death means investigators will not be able to question him about his motives.
Sixteen people were injured in the attack. Of those, 15 were in a stable condition as of late on Sunday, including the two police officers who stopped the gunman, according to The Guardian.
Autopsies on all nine victims were set to begin on Monday, according to the Polish news service PAP, and could take about two days.
Poland has entered a second day of national mourning.
