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Gunman who killed six in Krakow's main square dies in hospital, police say

The interior minister said he held far-right views, while prosecutors continue to investigate his motive and whether anyone inspired or helped him.

22 news outlets reported this
Liberal8 outletsThe gunman's far-right views and the unresolved motiveCenter8 outletsThe suspect's death and an open investigationConservative6 outletsThe death after a police shootout, motive unproven
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

A 24-year-old gunman who killed six people in the main square of Krakow's Old Town on Saturday died in a hospital early Monday, Polish police said. He had been in critical condition since police shot him during the attack, and he had several operations. Police said he kept firing even after he was wounded.

Fifteen people were wounded, including two police officers and five foreigners. Four of the dead were Polish. The others were a British man and an Austrian woman.

Police said the gunman's father, mother and sister likely died of gunshot wounds, and their bodies were discovered at the family house in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Prosecutors are investigating the shooting as a terrorist offense. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said on Saturday that the gunman held "very radical" and "ultranationalistic" views.

Officials have since said the investigation into his motive continues. Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said the inquiry will go on despite the death, to establish whether he acted alone or was inspired by any group. Authorities say 11 firearms were recovered.

Poland declared two days of national mourning.

Key figures
  • six peoplekilled in the squareABC News
  • 15others wounded in the attackABC News
  • 11firearms recovered in total, per prosecutorsABC News
  • within three minutestime before police fired the first shot after the first reportABC News
  • more than 6 million zlotys ($1.5 million)raised so far in a fundraiser for the two officers and their familiesABC News

Three sides of the story

8Liberal8Center6Conservative

22 news outlets reported this

Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.

Liberal8 outlets

The gunman's far-right views and the unresolved motive

ABC News puts the gunman's far-right views in its headline and builds on the Associated Press report. It quotes Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński on "very radical" views, notes a Gadsden flag found on the wall of his room, and cites researcher Kacper Rekawek, who compares the weapons and gear to those of "extreme right lone actors" elsewhere. It also reports a fundraiser for the two wounded officers.

The Boston Globe runs the AP report under a headline on the 24-year-old's death and quotes resident Maciej Sikorski in the square, where mourners laid candles and flowers. NBC News calls it a "suspected far-right terror attack" and reports that officials appeared to backtrack as nationalist opposition politicians questioned the grounds for the minister's comments on motive. Government spokesman Adam Szlapka urged people to "refrain from making comments."

The Guardian leads with the death, notes a British man among the victims, and quotes Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek asking for "restraint."

Center8 outlets

The suspect's death and an open investigation

BBC News leads with the suspect's death and says officials who first cited "far-right ideologies" have since said they are still investigating motive. It quotes Przemysław Nowak of the National Prosecutor's Office and adds eyewitness accounts from British visitors and the surgeons' story. UPI reports in wire style, names the suspect as Michał O., and gives police's answer to criticism of an alleged delayed response: 2 minutes and 3 seconds between the start of the pursuit and the final gunfire.

Deutsche Welle says the case is investigated as a terrorist offense and that "no information has been given" on any membership in an extremist group. It adds that Krakow's hourly trumpet call stopped for the first time since World War II. Newsweek's "What We Know About Attacker" section covers the suspect's family and his sister, an art student.

It quotes Mayor Łukasz Gibała: "Violence will not change what kind of city we are."

Conservative6 outlets

The death after a police shootout, motive unproven

Fox News leads with the gunman's death after a police shootout and says authorities described the 24-year-old as holding far-right views, though investigators "have not publicly established a motive." It reports that Polish prosecutors are treating the killings as a possible terrorist offense and are also investigating the attempted murders, among them attacks on police officers. Citing the Associated Press, Fox reports the bodies of his mother, father and sister turned up at the family home.

They are believed to have died from gunshot wounds, though officials have not confirmed how. It lists four women and two men among the dead, including a British man and an Austrian woman, and says both wounded officers were reportedly conscious. The New York Post runs the AP report, describing the attacker driving through the square in the heart of the Old Town on Saturday.

It closes with Krakow resident Maciej Sikorski telling AP he comes to the square to avoid "a spiral of fear and anxiety."

What a side did not mention
  • Conservative outlets did not mentionAuthorities recovered 11 firearms in total, seven of them from the family home Reported by ABC News, Newsweek
  • Conservative outlets did not mentionPoland declared two days of national mourning Reported by The Guardian, BBC News, UPI, Newsweek
All sources: 40 articles from 22 outlets

Liberal (23)

Center (9)

Conservative (8)

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  5. Gunman who killed six in Krakow's main square dies in hospital, police sayThis story