The 24-year-old gunman behind Saturday’s shooting in Krakow, Poland, died in hospital early Monday, November 9, the city said, citing confirmation from regional police. The attack killed six people and injured 15, according to the city’s latest notice.
The November 9 city statement said the attacker drove onto Main Market Square at about 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, November 7, and opened fire on passersby. He was shot during police intervention and hospitalized in critical condition. His death is separate from the six people killed in the attack; the notice does not establish a motive or give an exact time of death.
Polish prosecutors are investigating the killing of six people and attempted murders of numerous others in Krakow’s Main Market Square as a terrorist offence, the Krakow branch of the National Public Prosecutor’s Office said Sunday, according to the BBC.
Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek said the legal classification rests on seriously intimidating a large number of people. He said the office responsible for organised crime and corruption, which handles terrorist-offence proceedings, is leading the investigation.
Six people were killed and 15 injured in Saturday’s attack, according to the latest city notice. Poland’s embassy in Tokyo had put the injured at 16 in its November 8 release. The embassy said the president declared national mourning for November 8 and 9. Police chief Marek Boron said the injured include two police officers and the suspect, according to the BBC.
Police said the attacker drove onto the square, the busy center of Poland’s second-largest city, shortly before 3 p.m. local time Saturday and began firing at people at random. Armed officers pursued his car until it crashed, then subdued him in a firefight. The attack lasted about three minutes.
The suspect, a 24-year-old Polish man, initially survived but died in hospital early Monday. Police spokesperson Katarzyna Cislo said Sunday that both injured officers were in stable condition, according to the BBC.
Three family members found dead
The three bodies later found at the suspect’s home have been identified as his father, mother and sister, Polish police confirmed Sunday. Prosecutors said they are also investigating those deaths and that the evidence indicates the same person committed the acts, according to the BBC.
Square closed again for inspection
City officials said Sunday that Main Market Square, adjoining streets and sections of the suspect’s escape route were closed again for several hours while investigators inspected the scene. The closure followed a partial reopening earlier in the morning.
The city said trams on several routes were running on diversions, with replacement buses in place. People were advised to stay away from the cordoned-off area, the BBC reported.
A British national was confirmed among those killed in the square, according to the report.
JBizNews Desk | Krakow, Poland
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