Krakow Shooting Kills Six as Suspect's Parents and Sister Found Dead Amid Terrorism Probe

Polish police confirmed on Sunday, 8 November, that the three people found dead at the Krakow shooting suspect's home were his parents and sister. Prosecutors have opened a terrorism investigation into Saturday's attack, which killed six people in the city's main square.

The gunman drove into the old town's market square and opened fire at about 3pm. Two officers suffered gunshot wounds as they overpowered the suspect, a 24-year-old Polish man who belonged to a shooting club. He remained under police guard after surgery, and local authorities described his condition as critical on Sunday.

As Poland began two days of national mourning, regional official Krzysztof Klęczar confirmed that a British man aged 32 and an Austrian woman aged 51 were among the dead. Police identified three of the other victims as Polish women. Five foreign nationals were also among the wounded, one each from Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia.

Family Deaths May Be Linked to the Krakow Shooting

Police found the bodies at the family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. The suspect's father was 53, his mother 52 and his sister 21. Daniel Prokopowicz, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office, confirmed that all three had gunshot wounds.

Investigators recovered firearms and a large quantity of ammunition from the property, Prokopowicz added. He described it as 'highly likely' that the same person had killed the three relatives and the six people in the square, though the investigation was continuing.

In a statement on social media, the national prosecutor's office set out the scope of its terrorism inquiry. Alongside the six killings in Krakow, it cited 'the attempted murder of many others, including police officers'.

Both wounded officers had undergone surgery and regained consciousness, a regional government official told a press conference. An off-duty doctor provided life-saving treatment to one of them in the street before paramedics arrived.

Minister Defends His Comments on the Krakow Shooting Suspect's Views

Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński suggested on Saturday that far-right ideology might have inspired the attack. He described the suspect as holding 'very, very radical views'.

Przemysław Czarnek, deputy head of the nationalist opposition party PiS, called on the minister to disclose the basis for that assessment. He wrote on X, 'If Kierwinski has misinformed the public, he should face political consequences.'

On Sunday, Kierwiński told broadcaster TVN24 that police were still examining the evidence on motive. He added, 'Nobody is walking anything back.'

Concern about extremism had already grown in Poland after school stabbings in October in which a woman died. Officials linked those attacks to inflammatory material online.

Two Days of Mourning for Krakow Shooting Victims

Maria, a 20-year-old café employee in Warsaw, told Reuters she 'almost burst into tears' when she heard about the shooting. Police in the capital increased security in busy areas popular with tourists.

Mourners in Krakow left candles in the main square, and flags at city hall flew at half-mast. The square and surrounding streets reopened late on Sunday.

On the night of the shooting, the hourly trumpet call from St Mary's Church fell silent for 12 hours in tribute to the dead. It was the first such interruption since 1939.