Six people were killed and 16 were wounded after an armed man opened fire from a vehicle in the central square in Krakow, Polish authorities said. Four women and two men were killed.
Reports of the shooting were made at around 3:00 p.m. local time on November 7. According to police, the 25-year-old Polish national drove his vehicle onto the Main Market Square and fired randomly at people. He was dressed in military-style clothing and used weapons that police described as military-grade.
Police officers shot the suspect, who was wounded and taken to hospital. According to law enforcement authorities, he is the only person being sought in connection with the attack.
Three more bodies found at his home
Later, during a search of the suspect's home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, around 190 kilometers north of Krakow, the bodies of two women and one man were found. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said there were serious grounds to believe that they were close family members of the man.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths have not yet been clarified. Numerous weapons and ammunition were found in the suspect's vehicle. Police and investigative authorities continue to work on the case.
Far-right ideology theory being investigated
The motive for the shooting has not been established. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the initial data indicated the attacker had an interest in far-right ideologies and held “very radical views.”
“Everything indicates that the shooter was influenced by far-right ideology. This will also be the subject of the investigation,” Kierwiński said.Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz denied claims that the suspect was a member of the military. “This man was not and is not a soldier in the Polish Armed Forces and has never had any connection with the army,” he said.
Five foreign nationals are among the wounded – from Austria, Germany, Portugal, Russia and the United Kingdom. Two police officers were also injured, one of them in very serious condition. According to Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek, he has a non-functioning lung and urgently needs AB+ blood.
The square remains cordoned off
A bullet shattered the windshield of a tram, but no one was injured. The attacker also fired at two horses that were pulling tourist carriages. The animals survived, were examined by a veterinarian and were removed from the area.
Police have stationed a bus near the site of the attack, where eyewitnesses can give statements. Prime Minister Tusk said that the two police officers who intervened against the shooter had probably saved many lives.
Krakow Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared mourning in the city until November 11. The investigation is ongoing, while authorities are still clarifying the reasons for the attack and the connection between the shooting in the square and the three bodies found at the suspect's home.
Sources: edition.cnn.com, apnews.com, cbsnews.com