On crutches he went to save the policemen. We learned the identity of the hero from Krakow

For several days, Internet users wondered who the man on crutches visible in the recordings from Krakow was. Even one of Krakow's former councilors asked for help in identifying the man, noting that he would like to thank the person in the recording and give him a gift. Ultimately, the journalists of "Gość Niedzielny" managed to reach the man.

Partick, who does not want to reveal his surname, turned out to be the hero. The man comes from the United States, but he also has Polish citizenship. He told the editorial office what the events at the corner of Stradomska and Dietl looked like from his perspective.

“He stood with his back to me with a rifle.”

The man at the stop was waiting for the tram back home. When he heard the shots, he thought they were fireworks. Like others nearby, he was confused. After a while, the witness heard another bang. As he said, only then did he realize that two cars had collided. A man with a long gun got out of one of the vehicles.

He was standing with his back to me with a rifle in his hand, pointing at the other car, Patrick said. At first he wasn't sure if he was watching a real shooting or a movie. He didn't see any policemen either, and when he noticed them, he didn't understand why the soldier - as he thought - was shooting at them. Finally, the attacker fell, and after a while the policeman also fell to the ground. It was then that Patrick, despite his mobility problems, went to the injured. When he reached them, he saw large amounts of blood.

Hemorrhage stopped with a scarf

Patrick first took care of the injured policeman, who later turned out to be Senior Constable Jakub Kulik. The man tried to determine where the blood was coming from, but it was difficult due to the policeman's equipment. After a while, however, it worked.

I saw blood flowing from the upper part of the chest, so it was obvious to me that it needed to be stopped, he reported.

First, he applied pressure to the wound with his own hands. He later received a shawl from one of the women who also wanted to help. Shortly afterwards, two doctors from the University Hospital appeared on site - surgeons prof. Michał Pędziwiatr and Dr. Mateusz Wierdak. They provided professional help to injured policemen.

But Patrick didn't stop there. I noticed that the man in military clothing was not paying enough attention yet, so I turned around to help him too, he noted. The man again looked for the source of the bleeding, and after finding a wound in the upper part of the right leg, he applied pressure again until he was replaced by a person equipped with an appropriate dressing. The injured person was covered with thermal foil. As the wind blew her away, Patrick pressed his crutches against her. He also moved the gun magazines that were lying next to the perpetrator of the shooting to an appropriate distance.

The man noted that the entire situation lasted about 10 minutes. He was not afraid to intervene because, as he explained, he was a deeply religious person. I knew that God was with me at that moment and that I had nothing to fear. I will say more - I had and have no doubts that God put me in this place and time to help wounded people - he emphasized.

Victims in Kraków and Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski

On Saturday, November 7, he drove his car into the Main Square in Krakow and opened fire with an automatic weapon on random passers-by. Six people died. We know more and more about his victims. In addition to the 32-year-old DJ from Scotland, Ewelina, a 47-year-old volunteer of Szlachetna Paczka, lost her life in the attack. The mayor of Chodzież confirmed that a painter from Chodzież, Izabela, died in Krakow. She orphaned four children, including 11-year-old twins. Robert Kosidło, 51, was also killed. He was a man who helped merchants on the Main Market Square. The victims also include a 61-year-old Polish woman and a 51-year-old Austrian citizen.

The husband of a 51-year-old Austrian woman, who came with her to Krakow, was injured in the attack. Two policemen, a volunteer firefighter, and a 19-year-old from Great Britain were also injured.