Krakow shooting square reopened after attack, Digi Mart USA News (Krakow, Poland): The square in the Polish city of Krakow where six people were shot dead yesterday has been reopened to the public. Police have completed their investigation on site, allowing access to the central square in the historic city center once again.
The square had been closed since Saturday afternoon after a man opened fire from a moving car. Four women and two men were killed, and fifteen people were injured, including several horse-carriage drivers, two police officers and a number of foreign nationals.
The foreign victims come from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Russia, Germany and Austria. The suspected shooter, Michal O., was seriously wounded in a gunfight with police and is in life-threatening condition.
The masked 24-year-old wore camouflage clothing and a bulletproof vest during the attack.
He fired a semi-automatic weapon capable of shooting one hundred rounds per minute, an AR-15. Police also found a handgun, other weapons and ammunition in his car.
Details about his motive remain unclear, but Polish Interior Minister Kierwinski said Michal O. was reportedly inspired by far-right ideologies and described him as an “ultranationalist.”
Poland’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into a crime with a terrorist character. Michal O.
came from Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, a city about 140 kilometers northeast of Krakow. Neighbors described him as “a boy, just a boy” and “a normal, cheerful and happy boy.” As a young teenager he reportedly won awards in art and automotive technology.
Police searched the family home on Friday evening and found the bodies of two women and a man: the suspect’s father, mother and sister. They are believed to have been shot dead.
Polish media report that both the suspect and his father held firearms permits. The weapons found in the car after the attack are registered to the father, Janusz.
The prosecutor’s office has seized data carriers such as mobile phones and computers, as well as notes from the home. Seven additional firearms were also found in the residence.
People gathered at St. Anne’s Church, close to Krakow’s central square, to commemorate the victims, and the city’s mayor attended.
Flowers have been laid and candles lit on the square itself. The officers who intervened after the shooting and overpowered O.
have been praised in Poland for their heroism. One was seriously injured and required surgery.
A fundraising campaign has been launched for the “true heroes,” as Polish Prime Minister Tusk called them yesterday. Thousands of donors have already contributed nearly one million euros to the campaign.
