Krakow Gunman Dies in Hospital After Shooting That Killed Six

The gunman who killed six people in a shooting in Krakow's historic Main Market Square on Saturday has died in hospital, Polish police said on Monday, bringing a close to a weekend of violence that has shaken Poland and prompted a terrorism investigation. Source: Reuters

Police in the Lesser Poland region announced the death of the 24-year-old suspect on X early on Monday morning, saying he had died in hospital after being shot and wounded by officers during the attack. He had been in a critical condition since his arrest on Saturday afternoon. Source: BBC

The shooting began at about 3pm local time on Saturday, when the gunman drove a black car into the Main Market Square — one of Europe's largest medieval squares and a popular destination for foreign tourists — and opened fire at random on people in the square, according to police and prosecutors. He was wearing military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest. Officers shot and arrested him within minutes. Source: Reuters

Six people were killed: three Polish women aged 47, 53 and 61, a 32-year-old British man, a woman of 51 whose nationality has not been confirmed but who is not a Polish citizen, and a Polish man aged about 50, according to the regional governor, Krzysztof Jan Klęczar. At least 15 other people were injured, including a second British national and police officers who intervened. Source: BBC

Investigators believe the gunman killed three members of his own family before driving to Krakow. Police found the bodies of his parents and his 21-year-old sister at the family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, a town in south-eastern Poland about 200 kilometres from Krakow, on Saturday evening. Prosecutors said the three had most likely died from gunshot wounds. Source: The Hindu

Poland's National Prosecutor's Office has opened a terrorism investigation into the six murders and attempted murders in Krakow, as well as the three killings in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz described the attack as an act of terror and denied reports that the suspect was a soldier. The government said the 24-year-old, from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, may have been inspired by far-right ideology, without providing further details. Source: Reuters

The attack is one of the deadliest mass shootings in Poland's recent history, and the first of its scale in a public square in the country. Krakow's Main Market Square, normally crowded with visitors, cafés and market stalls, was cordoned off through the weekend before being reopened to the public on Sunday, when mourners left candles and flowers at a makeshift memorial. Source: The Hindu

Two police officers who stopped the gunman remain in hospital, and one is in a coma, according to local reports. Police have launched a blood appeal for one of the wounded officers. The investigation into the suspect's motives continues, with prosecutors examining his background, his movements in the days before the attack and any links to extremist material. Source: The Sun

Officials have not yet said when formal charges or further findings will be announced, and the suspect's death means the investigation will now focus on establishing a full account of events rather than a prosecution. The British Foreign Office has said it is supporting the family of the British man killed and the injured British national. Source: BBC

This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance and verified against multiple independent sources.