Deadly Krakow Square Attack in Poland Leaves Multiple Casualties
Gunman opens fire in historic Polish tourist hub, killing six and injuring seventeen before being detained by police.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- Nov 09, 2026
Law enforcement officials in southern Poland are managing the aftermath of a mass shooting in Krakow's main square that left six people dead and 17 wounded, as reported by Reuters.
The assailant opened fire from a vehicle into the crowded city center. According to the publication, police officers engaged the suspect in a close-range shootout within three minutes of the emergency call, shooting and arresting the individual. Two responding police officers sustained injuries during the exchange and underwent surgery.
The suspect, identified by police as a 24-year-old Polish citizen wearing military-like clothes and possessing a firearms license, fired an AR-15 rifle during the assault, as stated by the wire service. Multiple weapons and ammunition were also discovered inside the vehicle, based on accounts from Reuters.
Authorities searched the gunman's residence in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski using a drone and uncovered the bodies of two women and one man inside the home, as detailed by the press agency. Polish counterterrorism units and intelligence services are assisting in the ongoing investigation, according to the news organization, while the suspect remains hospitalized under guard in critical condition.
The gunman later died from his injuries at a hospital, according to The Associated Press. The deceased victims found at the family home were identified as his mother, father and 21-year-old sister, who likely died from gunshot wounds before the vehicle attack occurred, the news agency reported. Senior police officers Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, who sustained serious injuries during the exchange of gunfire, received immediate, life-saving chest trauma aid from two surgeons who happened to be nearby.
Investigators recovered seven additional firearms from the suspect's residence, bringing the total number of weapons found between the home and the vehicle to 11, including two AR-15 rifles, as stated by the AP. Forensics teams also impounded the assailant's electronic devices and analyzed various symbols, including a Gadsden flag hanging in his bedroom, while examining the role of ultranationalistic ideologies in the incident.