KRAKOW, Poland, Relish Wire – A gunman drove into Krakow’s Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon and opened fire at random passers-by, killing six people and wounding 15, Poland’s police reported.
Shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday, Polish authorities confirmed that three extra bodies were found in the apartment of the 24-year-old suspect, who has now been identified by name as Michał Oksiński, also referred to as Michał O., in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, around 93 miles northeast of Kraków, about 125–150 miles from Kraków, according to Świętokrzyskie Province police.
Among the bodies found were Janusz Oksiński, 53, now confirmed as the suspect’s father, who legally owned several firearms and was involved in sports shooting. The other victims were his mother, Renata Oksińska, 52, and his sister, Magdalena Oksińska, 21, an art student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków who had previously held an exhibition of her work.
The attack, had began at about 3 p.m. local time in the heart of Poland’s second-largest city. Known for its status as a major tourist destination.
❗️❗️❗️ Dramatyczne sceny na krakowskim Rynku Głównym! Napastnik strzelał z samochodu do przypadkowych ludzi. Zginęło pięć osób, a kilkanaście zostało rannych, w tym dwóch policjantów. Sprawca został postrzelony przez funkcjonariuszy i trafił do szpitala. Na miejscu trwa dramatyczna akcja służb, a do rannych skierowano śmigłowiec LPR.
— 🌐 ᴛʜᴇᴘᴏʟᴀɴᴅɴᴇᴡs 🌐 (@thepolandnews_) November 7, 2026
Around the same time, a tram driver reported that a man in a moving car had shot at his tram near the square, shattering the window of the driver’s cabin.
Stan jednego policjanta rannego w sobotnim ataku w Krakowie jest stabilny, drugiego jest ciężki, ale stabilny – poinformowała w niedzielę rano rzeczniczka MSWiA Karolina Gałecka. Stan sprawcy też jest ciężki, ale stabilny. https://t.co/KtD9qlOSfc
— 🌐 ᴛʜᴇᴘᴏʟᴀɴᴅɴᴇᴡs 🌐 (@thepolandnews_) November 8, 2026
During the incident, videos of the attack showed people running for their lives while searching for cover, ducking into doorways and side lanes, while emergency crews worked on people lying on the paving, As the attacker approached while buzzing off short from the car.
https://t.co/CQfyoS9jiQ
— 🌐 ᴛʜᴇᴘᴏʟᴀɴᴅɴᴇᴡs 🌐 (@thepolandnews_) November 7, 2026
In a swift response, Poland officers reached the scene quickly, and shot the suspect during an exchange of fire a short distance away and shot the suspect during an exchange of fire a short distance away, near the intersection of Dietla and Stradomska streets, where the violence had begun.
Later clip showed an officer firing again and again toward a man on the ground, believed to be the attacker who then was sinking down himself.
He has since been taken to the hospital, where he remains under guard in police watch.
The attacker, according to police, is a Polish citizen and has been confirmed to be in his 24 to 25 years. A Krakow police spokeswoman, Katarzyna Cisło, told broadcaster TVN24 that he was wearing military-style fatigues and acted alone. Police found other weapons and ammunition in his car. They denied reports that an officer had been killed.
Cisło added that the attacker engaged and fired from wide range and was likely why casualty of injury was much.
At his briefing, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński described the suspect as drawn to extreme-right thinking. He said the evidence pointed to “very, very radical views” and added that “everything suggests that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies.”
The dead are four women and two men.
Police initially reported five deaths before announcing on X that another victim had died of injuries. A foreign citizen has been reported to be among those 16, with 13 of them taken to hospital in critical injuries, identities of victims are not yet released by officials.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said, two police officers were wounded, where one was shot once, and the other shot three times, and was in very serious condition undergoing surgery.
Its Police department in charge has since denied reports that an officer had died.
“My deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragic attack in Kraków,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.
“The highest praise for the heroic police officers who risked their lives. And a heartfelt appeal to politicians of all stripes: do not exploit this tragedy. We will establish all the circumstances of this crime,” he added.
Authorities have not given a motive behind the shooting attack. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said shortly before 4 p.m. that Kierwiński was keeping him informed and that police were investigating the background and all circumstances of the attack.
Kierwiński has since travelled to Krakow.
President Karol Nawrocki said he was in contact with the relevant services and expected a full explanation of what happened, and that the head of the National Security Bureau was on his way to the city.
“The square will belong to us again,” Gibała vowed in a video posted to X.
Adding that Krakow will remain open to visitors even after the sad accident and fear by citizens. The city will also be in sorrowful mourning until Wednesday, according to Gibała.
Such an attack as Saturday’s mass shooting is uncommon in Poland, where the country is known for its tight controls on civilian firearms.
Applicants would need a police-issued permit, a legitimate reason such as hunting or personal protection, to obtain a firearm, where the person must meet medical and psychological requirements and pass examinations.
Even with those controls, ownership has risen sharply since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Police issued a record 50,700 permits in 2025, bringing the number of registered civilian firearms above one million.
But still, Poland still has one of the lowest civilian gun ownership rates in the European Union, with 37.5 million population, and Warsaw as its capital and largest city.
Krakow, once the country’s royal capital, is one of Poland’s main tourist destinations. Its Old Town and Wawel Castle are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Main Market Square is a central attraction.
The city received an estimated 14.72 million visitors in 2024, including 2.33 million from abroad.
The government’s information service warned against disinformation on Saturday’s shooting and told the public to rely on official channels as investigators work to establish the circumstances of the
In response, Warsaw’s mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, said the capital would tighten protection in its historic centre, with barriers placed on key Old Town streets.
