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. 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.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the officers for saving lives, calling them “true heroes. 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.
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.
Authorities said officers responded within about three minutes of receiving the first emergency call. Police said he acted alone. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the officers’ quick intervention prevented an even greater tragedy.
The second officer was also seriously injured while pursuing and confronting the suspect after the attack moved away from the city centre.
One officer suffered multiple gunshot wounds and remains in critical condition and is undergoing emergency surgery, according to reports.
Far-right ideology 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.
