Three More Bodies Found at Home of Kraków Gunman as Poland Declares Mourning

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced two days of national mourning after a gunman killed six people and wounded at least 15 others in Kraków, with three additional bodies later discovered at the suspect's home, which are believed to belong to members of his immediate family.

The shooting took place on Saturday in the city's Main Market Square, where the attacker drove a car and fired indiscriminately at people, according to police. Officers began receiving reports at around 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET; 1400 GMT) and shot the suspect during an exchange of fire before taking him into custody and transporting him to a hospital.

The six people killed were four women and two men. A British national was among the dead, police chief Marek Boron said, adding that two victims had not yet been identified. Reports on the number of injured varied, with officials confirming at least 15, while another account put the figure at 16. Two police officers were among those wounded, as were five foreign nationals from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and Britain.

The attacker was a Polish citizen who acted alone. Reports identified him as 24 or 25 years old, while another account said he was born in 2002. Police said he wore military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest and used a long firearm. Police Deputy Inspector Katarzyna Cisło told TVN24 that the weapons were of a military type. Police spokesman Andrzej Fijołek said the gunman had used a semiautomatic rifle resembling the American AR-15.

Officers found numerous additional weapons and ammunition in the suspect's car. Authorities initially urged people in the area to seek safety, while police and emergency services carried out operations at several locations.

Police later found the bodies of two women and a man inside the suspect's home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about 120 miles north of Kraków. Tusk said at a late-night crisis meeting in Kraków that there were “strong indications” that the three were members of the attacker's immediate family. He cited drone footage when first reporting the discovery.

The suspect underwent several operations and remained hospitalized. A regional police spokesperson told Reuters that he was in stable but very critical condition.

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the attacker appeared to have been influenced by far-right ideology and held highly radical views. “Everything suggests that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies,” Kierwiński said, adding that the suspect also held ultra-nationalist views. The minister said the gunman's motives and the circumstances of the attack would be investigated.

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz rejected reports that the suspect had served in the military. “The man was not and is not a soldier in the Polish Armed Forces and has never had anything to do with the military,” he said.

Two police officers were injured while trying to stop the attacker. One suffered a single gunshot wound, while the other was shot three times. Both underwent surgery, and a regional police spokesperson told Reuters that they were in stable condition. Kierwiński said one officer was in a very critical condition. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said that one of the officers had a non-functioning lung and urgently needed AB-positive blood, urging the public to contact blood donation centers.

Tusk praised the officers for confronting the gunman despite the danger. “The two officers likely saved many lives, without regard for the risk of losing their own,” he wrote on X. Kosiniak-Kamysz also commended their intervention, describing their actions as exceptionally courageous.

The suspect's actions also affected other parts of the city center. Kraków's transportation agency said a bullet struck a tram and shattered the driver's window, but nobody was injured. The animal rights group OTOZ Animals reported that the gunman had also shot two horses pulling carriages. Both animals survived, received veterinary treatment and were removed from the area.

Emergency crews continued working at the scene, and police set up a bus near the location of the shooting so witnesses could give their accounts to investigators. Heavily armed officers in helmets and tactical equipment were deployed around the square.

Tusk announced at a press conference in Kraków that Sunday and Monday would be days of national mourning. He said his office would decide how the mourning period would be observed, but stressed that the country would share the two days of remembrance.

Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała separately declared mourning in the city through November 11.

Tusk held a late-night briefing in Kraków with government ministers, security service representatives, the head of the National Security Bureau and the mayor. President Karol Nawrocki said the head of the National Security Bureau was traveling to the city and that he expected a full account of the circumstances. “My thoughts are with the victims, those injured and their families,” he said.

Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek called on the public to remain calm and avoid interfering with emergency services. He said prosecutors, police and other relevant authorities were securing evidence and investigating the attack, and pledged that the perpetrator would be held fully accountable and severely punished.

Witnesses described scenes of panic in the streets surrounding the square, with people taking shelter in nearby shops and restaurants. A woman identified as Annette, who was in her 60s, told AFP she had seen a man shooting at people while moving around the square. Musician Daniel Wolny, 32, said he had seen one person dead and several others lying nearby as people tried to resuscitate them and stop the bleeding using clothing.

A witness who identified himself as Konrad told Interia that he saw shots being fired through the driver's side window, with smoke coming from the vehicle. He ran into a police station in the Main Market Square, where he found people hiding on the floor.

Other visitors and residents said the shooting had shattered their sense of security. Stella, a 22-year-old tourist from Rennes in northwestern France, said the incident had raised fears about the threat of terrorism in Europe. Gabriel Bogdan, a 33-year-old employee at a bar near the square, said Kraków had long been regarded as an exceptionally safe city and that he could not recall anything comparable happening during his lifetime.

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose condemned the attack on X, calling it “a savage and murderous attack that’s shattered the peace of Poland.” He said the United States stood with Poland and the people of Kraków.

Poland's neighbors also expressed solidarity with the victims. The Czech Foreign Ministry offered its deepest condolences to the families of those killed and everyone affected. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said he was deeply shocked and that Slovakia stood with the Polish people. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said there could be no justification for the attack.

Deadly shootings are rare in Poland, an EU and NATO member with a population of 38 million. The country has strict rules governing firearm ownership, and only a limited number of people are permitted to possess military-style weapons or carry guns in public.

Poland has remained on high alert following a series of stabbings in October, which Tusk condemned as a “cult of violence.” Warsaw has also repeatedly warned of Russian sabotage and hybrid warfare on Polish territory since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, allegations rejected by Moscow.

At the same time, the number of firearm licenses in Poland has risen sharply. More than 50,000 new permits were issued in 2025, bringing the total to 411,000, according to police figures.

Kraków, a historic city in southern Poland and the country's former capital, attracts millions of tourists each year. Its Main Market Square, lined with cafes and bars, is a popular gathering place for residents and visitors.