By TAYLOR RICE and ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and JOE ROSSITER, REPORTER and ABUL TAHER
An Australian student in Poland has described the terrifying moment he ‘bolted down the street’ after hearing gunshots in Krakow as a deadly mass shooting unfolded.
The suspected terror attack, which also left 15 wounded, took place in the historic main square, when the assailant drove up in a black Subaru at about 3pm local time and fired at a tram, pedestrians and two horses with an AR-15-style assault rifle.
Four women and two men died during the shooting at the crowded market before the bodies of the gunman’s parents and sister were found at his home.
His rampage was brought to a halt when a heroic police officer, already hit three times, approached the car and shot him at point-blank range before collapsing from his own wounds.
He was likely inspired by ‘far-right ideologies’ and had ‘very radical views’, Poland’s interior minister said, adding ‘many guns were found’ in the car he was driving.
Speaking to Nine’s Weekend Today, Australian Luca Nava said he had been ‘looking around’ the Main Square with his roommate Taylor Dorfmeister when the pair ‘heard all these gunshots’ as the incident unfolded.
Nava described it as ‘so unexpected’ and didn’t know what was happening at first.
‘I don’t think either of us realised they were gunshots at first because like, you never expect gunshots.
Australian student Luca Nava (left) had been exploring Main Square with his roommate Taylor Dorfmeister (right) when the incident unfolded
Police examine a vehicle after starting an investigation into the fatal shooting
‘But I thought they were fireworks or someone was slamming something.
‘They just kept going. And then like, we just got to run. So yeah, we bolted down the street.’
The 25-year-old suspect, who was locally identified as Michal O, a Polish citizen believed to be a cadet at a military school about 80 miles from Krakow, survived and is being treated in hospital.
The officer had emergency surgery and was in a ‘very critical’ condition. Another policeman who was hit is understood to be fighting for his life, along with several other victims.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said senior constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański were ‘true heroes’ as both remained critical in hospital tonight, though he did not say which officer had approached the gunman’s car.
Harrowing video footage from the square showed women sobbing beside the bodies of the dead, while blood pooled on the paving around them. Other footage showed CPR being performed on unconscious casualties as more police arrived at the scene.
Unverified videos on social media showed shooting in the square as traditional horse-drawn carriages, popular with tourists, passed through or were parked nearby. A man could be seen taking cover in one of the many restaurants and cafes.
The military confirmed that the suspect is not a soldier and said the uniform and bulletproof vests he wore were ‘self-assembled’ rather than official issue.
An image taken from footage of the attack appeared to show the alleged attacker’s face
Police cars at the scene of the shooting in Poland’s second-largest city
A large cache of weapons found in the boot of the Subaru included a DB carbine, a P99 pistol, a Glock pistol and a Chinese-made bulletproof vest. Some of the weapons are reported to belong to the suspect and others to his father, in whose name the car was registered.
The suspect had no previous criminal record.
Earlier, Poland’s Left-wing prime minister Tusk said: ‘My deepest condolences go out to the families and loved ones of the victims of the tragic attack in Krakow. I offer the highest praise to the heroic police officers who acted at the risk of their own lives.
‘And I make an urgent appeal to politicians of all stripes: do not exploit this tragedy. We will uncover all the circumstances surrounding this crime.’
Tomasz Waszczuk, of the district prosecutor’s office in the city, added: ‘Everything points to the fact that he opened fire on random people. I can confirm that there are six fatalities.
‘More than a dozen people sustained injuries of varying severity and are currently in the hospital.’
Jonny Daniels, 40, a London-based Holocaust education tour guide, had left the square with a group of 30 tourists – including three Britons – five minutes before the shooting began.
They were on their way to visit the Krakow ghettos, where Jews were held during the Holocaust.
A member of the city guard runs at the site of a shooting near the main market square of Krakow, Poland
People inside a shop at the site of a shooting near the main market square, as broken glass litters the floor
He said: ‘We were very lucky. If we stayed for a bit longer, then we would have been caught. Some of us definitely would have been shot.’
His group was due to return today.
Iwona Sitnik-Kornecka, spokeswoman for the military hospital in Krakow, said some of the victims were foreigners but did not disclose their nationalities.
President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims, those affected and their families.
He added that he was ‘deeply concerned’ and was awaiting ‘a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding these tragic events’.
Mass shootings are uncommon in Poland, though three knife attacks on schools were staged within four days last month leaving a woman dead and children among the wounded.
