The shooter's parents and sister found dead - a German among the injured

The three dead people found in the home of the Krakow mass shooter are the man's parents and sister, according to police. This was reported by the Polish radio station RMF FM, citing the spokesman for national police headquarters in Warsaw, Andrzej Fijolek.

The bodies were discovered during a police operation on Saturday evening at the 24-year-old gunman's house in the town of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, about a two-hour drive northeast of Krakow. Prime Minister Donald Tusk had previously stated that the victims were likely members of the shooter's immediate family.

Following the devastating violent crime in downtown Krakow, Poland is mourning the numerous victims and continuing to puzzle over the perpetrator's motive. On Saturday, he shot and killed six random victims from a car in the Main Market Square and injured more than a dozen people before police were able to disable him by gunfire. State President Karol Nawrocki announced nationwide state mourning for Sunday and Monday.

According to police, the perpetrator is a young Polish man who is believed to have fired indiscriminately rather than targeting specific victims. Four women and two men were killed. According to Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, foreigners are among the victims. One of the six dead was a foreign national, the minister said, and the BBC reported that one of the dead was a British citizen.

Among the 16 people hospitalized are five non-Polish nationals, Kierwiński added. These include one person from Germany, as well as individuals from Austria, Portugal, Russia, and Great Britain. The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin stated in response to an inquiry that it could confirm that a person with German citizenship was also injured in the attack. The German Consulate General in Krakow is in contact with the relevant authorities. According to Krzysztof Kleczar, the governor of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, twelve of the injured are in critical or life-threatening condition.

Police believe the attacker acted alone and dismissed reports of a manhunt for a possible accomplice. Why the shooter opened fire in the early afternoon and the background of his actions are still part of the investigation. According to initial findings, the man held "very radical views," Interior Minister Kierwiński said. There are indications that he was fascinated by far-right ideologies, although this still needs to be examined more closely.

According to police, the perpetrator used a semi-automatic long gun, similar to an American-type AR-15 assault rifle. The Polish news agency PAP reported that, judging by photos, the weapon was equipped with a device for more precise shooting. The perpetrator also carried a pistol. A police spokeswoman said that many more weapons and ammunition were found in his car.

According to media reports, the man's car collided with another vehicle at an intersection while he was fleeing the scene. The attacker then jumped out of his vehicle and shot at the emergency responders. They returned fire, hit the perpetrator, and were able to overpower him and take him to the hospital.

The "lightning-fast reaction" of the police prevented an even larger massacre, Interior Minister Kierwiński emphasized. Officers fired shots at the attacker within three minutes of the first alert. The Polish Ministry of Defense denied speculation that the suspect was a soldier or former soldier.

Two police officers were injured, one of whom reportedly suffered three gunshot wounds. "We are praying for this brave police officer, for this hero, that he may survive," the interior minister said. The perpetrator himself underwent surgery multiple times at a Krakow hospital due to his life-threatening injuries.

The full scale of the violent crime only became clear gradually. Later, emergency services searched the shooter's home, located about a two-hour drive from Krakow. Suspecting that explosive devices might be inside, drone footage was used, which revealed the three dead bodies.

Eyewitnesses describe chaotic scenes

Footage of the attack and panicking people fleeing quickly circulated on social media and television. Eyewitnesses reported frightening scenes in the center of the country's second-largest city.

"At first, there was great chaos. People started moving frantically, I saw overturned tables," one person told TV channel Polsat News. "Suddenly a car drove up, and a man started shooting from the car window," reported another eyewitness. The attacker was wearing a helmet or a mask, and his face could not be seen.

Forensic investigations at the scene were expected to last at least until Sunday, said Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek. Witnesses were asked to contact their nearest police station. Zurek announced severe punishment for the perpetrator.

Prime Minister Tusk and his interior minister set off for Krakow on Saturday. The university city has a population of over 800,000 and, as part of the UNESCO World Heritage, is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world.