Krakow shooting suspect has died in hospital, police say

Key points

• The 24-year-old suspect in Saturday's shooting in Krakow's Main Market Square died in hospital early Monday, police said.
• Six people were killed, including a British national and an Austrian woman, and the suspect's father, mother and sister were found dead at his home.
• Officials said the suspect was shot within three minutes of the attack beginning, preventing a further massacre.

The suspect in Saturday's shooting in central Krakow has died in hospital, police said. The 24-year-old Polish man was injured after opening fire in the city's Main Market Square shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) and died early on Monday morning. He has not been officially named.

Six people were confirmed killed: four women and two men. Four victims were Polish, while a British national and an Austrian woman were also killed. Sixteen people, including five foreigners, two police officers and the attacker, were taken to hospital; the interior ministry said they were from Austria, Britain, Germany, Portugal and Russia.

Suspect shot within three minutes

Armed officers engaged in a gunfight with the suspect, who was shot within three minutes of the attack beginning, officials said, preventing a further massacre. A minister initially said early investigations indicated the gunman was inspired by "far-right ideologies" and described him as an "ultra-nationalist". On Monday, Przemysław Nowak, a spokesperson for Poland's National Prosecutor's Office, said investigations into his motive remain ongoing.

Nowak said four firearms were found in the gunman's car, including two AR-15 rifles and two handguns, along with several hundred rounds of ammunition. Authorities also seized at least four phones from his car and person, and electronic equipment from his home. Polish media reported the suspect had a firearms permit and may have obtained the weapons from his family home.

We rushed into the area where the shooting was and started our rescue, because there were no ambulances available, there were no professionals around.

— Professor Michal Pędziwiatr

Family found dead at home

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said three bodies, two women and one man, were found at the gunman's house when it was searched after the attack. On Sunday, police confirmed they were the suspect's 53-year-old father, 52-year-old mother and 21-year-old sister.

Two surgeons who were eating near the square when the shooting began rushed to treat the attacker and two injured police officers. Professor Michal Pędziwiatr told the BBC his colleague used his hand to stem the bleeding from the most severely injured policeman until an ambulance arrived. Both injured officers had emerged from comas, it was reported on Sunday. Poland declared two days of national mourning, and Main Market Square reopened on Sunday evening after a security cordon was lifted.