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 has since been “neutralised” by police officers and transported to hospital, a Kraków police spokesperson told AFP.

He used a long military-type firearm, was dressed in military style and was caught while trying to escape, the police said.

Police officers are among the wounded.

The incident took place in the main market square, a leading tourist destination in Kraków, Poland’s second-largest city.

Emergency services are on the scene and people are being asked to avoid the area while the police investigate.

Officers are conducting an operation on nearby Dietla Street, according to an official social media account for the city.

The prime minister, Donald Tusk, confirmed the shooting after initial reports by local media, which cited police and the fire department.

“I am being kept informed by the minister of the interior about the situation in Kraków following the tragic shooting,” he wrote on X, adding that “the police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack”.

The justice minister, Waldemar Żurek, wrote on X that “prosecutors, police and all the relevant services are already working at the scene”.

He said that authorities would “ensure that the perpetrator of this crime is held fully accountable and severely punished”.

The Polish president, Karol Nawrocki, said he was “deeply concerned by reports of the tragic events” in Kraków, and that his thoughts are with victims, those injured and their families.

An interior minister is heading to the scene, according to reports.

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.