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Six people died and 16 others were injured when a gunman drove into Krakow’s Main Market Square and began shooting at random pedestrians on November 7 2026. Polish police received the first reports shortly after 15:00 local time and engaged the suspect in a shootout that ended with him being wounded and detained approximately three minutes later. The rapid response prevented further casualties in the popular tourist area according to the head of Poland’s police service Marek Boroń.
The attacker drove a black Subaru with plates from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski into the square from Sławkowska Street before firing an AR-15-style rifle at bystanders. He continued along the eastern side of the square and also targeted a passing tram shattering its window without injuring passengers while horse-drawn carriages were caught nearby amid the chaos. The suspect then sped south along Grodzka Street pursued by officers until crashing at the Dietla Street intersection where he exited the vehicle and exchanged fire resulting in injuries to two policemen a timeline corroborated across police statements and witness accounts to outlets including Reuters.
Four women and two men were killed in the square including one British national and three Polish citizens with two victims yet to be identified according to BBC News. Among the 16 injured were five foreign nationals from countries such as Portugal and Russia in addition to the two officers and the perpetrator himself. Witnesses described panic as people fled into nearby buildings including St Mary’s Basilica while more than 20 shots were heard with distinct sounds suggesting multiple firearms Euronews reported.
Following the incident authorities discovered three additional bodies at the suspect’s family apartment in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski about 120 miles north of Krakow. The victims were the 25-year-old suspect’s 53-year-old father 52-year-old mother and 21-year-old sister all killed by gunshot wounds Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced. This raised the overall death toll linked to the event to nine as confirmed in updates from Polish officials.
The suspect identified as Michał O. a 24-year-old Polish citizen with a valid firearms license and no prior criminal record was wearing military-style tactical gear and carrying extra weapons and ammunition in his vehicle Wikipedia and CNN reports stated. He is not connected to the Polish military despite initial speculation and remains in stable but critical condition after multiple surgeries a regional police spokesperson told Reuters. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński described him as an ultranationalist influenced by far-right ideologies though the precise motive continues to be investigated.
Tusk labeled the attack an act of terrorism prompting involvement of counter-terrorism police at both the scene and the family home where the square and adjacent streets were closed and residents evacuated. The event has shocked Poland a country with relatively strict gun control laws where such public shootings are rare according to assessments in The Guardian. Officials continue to search for additional evidence while expressing solidarity with victims’ families and the injured officers.
