The attacker from Krakow has died this Monday, November 9, in the hospital, according to a statement by the regional Police of Little Poland. The man, a 24-year-old Polish citizen, had remained admitted since Saturday, when the officers shot him to stop the attack in the historic center of the city.
The Police announced his death during the early hours without initially specifying the specific medical cause. The suspect had been seriously injured during the operation.
The shooting left six fatalities and a couple of dozen wounded in the Market Square. The investigation also included the discovery of three more corpses in the attacker’s family home, identified as his father, his mother and his sister. The death of the aggressor must be counted separately from the victims.
The attacker had remained hospitalized since Saturday
The young man was operated on after the confrontation with the Police and his condition was critical. Associated Press reports that he had undergone several operations before dying this Monday.
The attack took place on Saturday, November 7, around three in the afternoon, in one of the busiest areas of Krakow. The man burst in with a vehicle near the Market Square and opened fire on passersby.
Officers shot at him and detained him during the operation. He was subsequently taken to the hospital, where he remained under medical care until his death.
The three corpses from the home were his parents and his sister
The investigation was extended to Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, the town where the family home was located. The Police confirmed on Sunday that the bodies found there corresponded to the attacker’s father, 53; his mother, 52; and his sister, 21.
The three had gunshot wounds. According to initial hypotheses, those injuries would have caused their deaths. The authorities are investigating the possible responsibility of the young man in those events.
The discovery opened a second part of the reconstruction: establishing what happened in the house and how it relates to the subsequent attack in Krakow. The three who died did not die in the Market Square and should not be included as victims of the shooting that occurred in that scenario.
What is being investigated about the motive for the attack
The Polish Government has pointed to a possible inspiration in far-right ideology. Reuters reports that researchers are examining the emblems and insignia found on the attacker’s clothing, while the Ministry of the Interior avoids expanding details during the investigation.
The prime minister, Donald Tusk, described what happened as an attack and announced two days of national mourning. The Minister of the Interior, Marcin Kierwiński, also pointed to a possible fascination by the attacker with the far right, although he stressed that this hypothesis required a thorough investigation.
The death of the suspect prevents obtaining his statement. What remains to be clarified is the preparation of the attack, the origin of the weapons, and the sequence of events at the family home.
Two police officers among the injured
Two officers were injured during the intervention that halted the attack. The information released on Sunday stated that one had awakened and the other remained in an induced coma under intensive care; that update does not constitute an update on his condition this Monday.
In the area around the site of the shootings, neighbors and visitors have placed flowers and candles in memory of the victims. The latest confirmed development by the Police is the death of the attacker, who had been hospitalized since Saturday.