Six dead after gunman opens fire 'at random' in Kraków market square

Six people have been killed and 15 injured after a shooting in a market square in Kraków, Poland.

A man who had driven into the square at about 3pm began "firing at random people from his car", according to a statement by local police on X. The gunman was a Polish citizen who acted alone and was shot and wounded during a gunfight with police nearby, authorities said. He was dressed in "military-style" clothes and used a long military-type firearm, police said.

The injured included two police officers, one of whom was seriously hurt after being shot three times in the shootout with the alleged attacker. Those killed were four women and two men.

The incident took place in the main market square, a popular tourist destination in Kraków, Poland's second-largest city. A tram driver reported that his vehicle was shot at from a man in a moving car while passing nearby the main square, the Krakow municipal transport company said. The window to the tram driver's cabin was shattered.

The prime minister, Donald Tusk, confirmed the shooting after initial reports by local media, which cited police and the fire department. He wrote on X that he was being kept informed by the minister of the interior about the situation in Kraków following the tragic shooting, and that "the police are investigating the background and all the Circumstances of the attack".

Later in the evening, government spokesperson Adam Szlapka wrote on X that "Today's event in Kraków has shaken all of Poland," adding that Prime Minister Donald Tusk is on his way to Kraków. The justice minister, Waldemar Żurek, wrote that authorities would "ensure that the perpetrator of this crime is held fully accountable and severely punished". The president, Karol Nawrocki, said he was "deeply concerned by reports of the tragic events" and that his thoughts were with victims, those injured and their families. An interior minister is heading to the scene.

Earlier this year, Euronews reported that the number of legally owned firearms in Poland surpassed 1 million for the first time. Poland issued a record 50,700 gun permits in 2025, and the number of active permits registered in 2025 was almost double the number registered in 2015, according to the police statistics cited in the report.