Kraków Mass Shooting Gunman Dies After Killing Six in Poland

A yellow flag bearing a snake and the words “Don’t tread on me” was found inside the room of a 24-year-old gunman who killed six people in central Kraków on Saturday, cbc.ca reported.

The mass shooting unfolded just before 3 p.m. local time when the assailant drove a vehicle into the city’s historic Main Market Square and opened fire on pedestrians at random, according to CBS News.

The attacker, identified by prosecutors as Michał Oksiński from the southeastern town of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, died in a hospital early on Monday after sustaining critical injuries in a shootout with police officers who apprehended him minutes into the rampage, cbc.ca reported. Fifteen other people sustained injuries during the violence, and three additional family members were later found dead inside the suspect’s home.

Officials Clash over Suspect’s Stated Motives

Polish officials offered conflicting accounts regarding the gunman’s potential motives in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. Poland’s interior minister, Marcin Kierwiński, stated on Saturday that everything suggested the suspect was fascinated with far-right ideologies and held radical, ultra-nationalist views, according to The Guardian and the BBC.

However, during a press conference on Monday, National Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Przemysław Nowak retreated from those assertions. Nowak told reporters that investigators did not yet possess evidence to categorically state the killer was inspired by a specific political ideology.

The initial statements drew swift condemnation from opposition politicians. Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński denounced the early government claims as a blatant lie, cbc.ca reported. Addressing the press on Monday, government spokesperson Adam Szlapka acknowledged the shift in posture, stating that it is best to refrain from commentary until authorities secure complete information, according to cbc.ca.

Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek announced that prosecutors have opened a formal terrorism investigation to determine whether Oksiński acted alone or with outside inspiration, adding that evidence collection continues under strict official restraint.

Gunman’s Weapons and Family Gun Permits Found

Police confirmed that the perpetrator wore full military tactical gear and wielded a military-grade long gun during the attack, which lasted roughly three minutes and shattered storefront windows while striking a tram, according to CBS News and the BBC.

Authorities subsequently recovered several firearms and ammunition from both the suspect’s vehicle and his family apartment, noting that both Oksiński and his deceased father held valid gun permits, cbc.ca reported. Police checks at the gunman’s residence later uncovered the bodies of his 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother, and 21-year-old sister, all of whom likely died of gunshot wounds, according to The Guardian and the BBC.

The death toll reached six after the Malopolska regional government updated its figures, cbc.ca reported. A foreign national was among those killed, and the wounded included people from Britain, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria, officials said. Fourteen of the wounded were in stable condition, while a police officer who took part in subduing the attacker remained in serious condition, cbc.ca reported.

Two wounded police officers, identified as Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, emerged from medically induced comas over the weekend and were widely praised by public officials for preventing further casualties, according to The Guardian and the BBC.

Government Examines Permit Rules Amid Mourning

Poland observed two days of national mourning with flags lowered to half-mast across the country and outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, cbc.ca and The Guardian reported. In response to the tragedy, Justice Minister Żurek announced that the government will review regulatory requirements governing firearm permits for individuals, according to cbc.ca.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Kraków submitted an urgent request for the injured officers to receive honorary citizenship of the city, and the Main Market Square reopened to the public late Sunday evening as security cordons were lifted, according to the BBC.

More on this story: Six Dead in Far-Right Inspired Mass Shooting in Krakow, Poland · 6 die in Krakow Market Square shooting, Minister says