Gunman Opens Fire in Krakow's Main Square, Killing 6 and Wounding 15

Six people were killed and 15 others wounded after a gunman opened fire Saturday afternoon in the busy Main Square in Krakow, Poland. Police said a 24-year-old Polish citizen drove into the square and fired at pedestrians at random.

Four women and two men were among the dead. Two police officers were among the wounded, one of them seriously, Poland's interior minister said on X.

The gunman himself was shot and wounded during a gunfight with police and was taken to hospital for surgery. The death toll was first reported as five, but police later updated it to six in a post on X.

Katarzyna Cislo, a spokesperson for the Krakow police, said the attacker was wearing military-style fatigues and a bulletproof vest and used a military-type long gun. Police found many other weapons, as well as ammunition, in his car.

He kept firing at the police even after being shot himself, the spokesperson said. He drove wildly around the square, which is why people were wounded at several locations.

Videos posted on social media by witnesses show people running from the square to take cover in nearby side streets. Police said the gunman acted alone and that the public is safe.

It was not immediately clear whether the firearm used in Saturday's attack, or the guns found in the perpetrator's car, were legal. Around 411,000 people hold gun permits in Poland, which has a population of 37 million.

Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland. However, in mid-October three attacks at schools in the central province of Mazovia took place within four days, leaving one person dead and many wounded, including children.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in a post on X, praised the police officers who responded to Saturday's tragedy. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, the wounded and their families.

The Krakow municipal transport company said a tram driver reported around 3 p.m. that his vehicle was shot at from a man in a moving car while passing near the main square. The window to the tram driver's cabin was shattered.

Images from the scene showed police cars and ambulances covering the area, and a Polish Medical Air Rescue helicopter also landed in the square.

Krakow is Poland's second-largest city. Around 15 million tourists a year visit the city, the majority passing through the Main Square.