Senior Constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański have been identified as the police officers who confronted and stopped the gunman behind Poland’s deadliest mass shooting in recent history. Both officers were seriously wounded during the exchange of gunfire after the attacker killed six people and injured 17 others in Krakow’s historic Main Market Square on Saturday.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the officers for saving lives, calling them “true heroes.”
According to reports, one officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds and remains in critical condition and is undergoing emergency surgery. The second officer was also seriously injured while pursuing and confronting the suspect after the attack moved away from the city centre.
Deep Dive
Who were the Polish officers injured while stopping the Krakow gunman?
How did police stop the gunman in Krakow?
What is the condition of the officers injured in the Krakow shooting?
Also read: Gunman 'fascinated by far-right' kills six in Krakow, Poland
‘Heroes’ who stopped the attack
The shooting unfolded shortly before 3 pm local time when a 25-year-old Polish man drove into Krakow’s Main Market Square and began firing indiscriminately from his vehicle. Armed with an AR-15-style rifle and dressed in military-style clothing, the gunman killed six people, four women and two men, including a British citizen, and wounded 17 others before police tracked him down.
{{/usCountry}}The shooting unfolded shortly before 3 pm local time when a 25-year-old Polish man drove into Krakow’s Main Market Square and began firing indiscriminately from his vehicle. Armed with an AR-15-style rifle and dressed in military-style clothing, the gunman killed six people, four women and two men, including a British citizen, and wounded 17 others before police tracked him down.
{{/usCountry}}Authorities said officers responded within about three minutes of receiving the first emergency call. Police chased the suspect until his vehicle crashed.
The police then engaged the gunman in a gunfight. Kulik and Morański were both shot during the confrontation, but officers managed to wound and arrest the suspect alive. Police said he acted alone.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the officers’ quick intervention prevented an even greater tragedy.
Prime Minister Tusk later publicly identified the two officers and thanked them for risking their lives to protect civilians in one of Europe’s busiest tourist squares. He said that they are “true heroes” who “likely saved many lives, without regard for the risk of losing their own.”
“Their condition is serious, but they are receiving excellent care,” he added. “All of Poland is rooting for you.”
Also read: Poland gunman had 'very radical' far-right views, says minister after deadly shooting
Far-right ideology under investigation
Police recovered additional weapons and ammunition from his vehicle after the attack. Authorities have not released his name but said preliminary evidence suggests he may have been influenced by far-right extremist ideology, although the motive remains under investigation.
Police later searched the suspect’s home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski and discovered three bodies believed to be members of his immediate family. Officials are investigating whether the deaths are connected to the shooting. Security agencies also searched the property for additional weapons and evidence.
Tusk said Poland had never experienced violence of this scale in recent years and called the attack an act of terrorism. President Karol Nawrocki declared two days of national mourning.