Poland hails two wounded police officers who stopped the Krakow gunman
Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański were shot, and prosecutors opened a terror investigation into the 24-year-old attacker.
A 24-year-old Polish gunman shot at random from his car in Kraków's Main Market Square on Saturday, killing six people. A British national and an Austrian woman were among the dead, with four Poles, according to the BBC. Two police officers, senior constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, exchanged fire with him and detained him.
Both were shot. The Guardian reports that both had surgery, that Kulik was hit by three bullets and that police arrived 23 seconds after the first emergency call. Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the officers "true heroes."
Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said their rapid response prevented further casualties. The Guardian and the BBC report that both officers came out of comas on Sunday, while regional governor Krzysztof Klęczar told reporters, as the New York Post reports, that one remained in a coma. Marcin Kierwiński, the interior minister, said all signs pointed to the suspect being drawn to far-right ideologies.
The BBC reports that prosecutors launched a terror investigation. Authorities found the bodies of the suspect's parents and sister at his home. The suspect remains in critical condition.
Poland began two days of national mourning on Sunday, the New York Post reports.
- sixpeople killed in the attackThe Guardian
- 23 secondstime for police to arrive after the first emergency call, per The GuardianThe Guardian
- three bulletshit Officer Jakub Kulik, per The GuardianThe Guardian
- around three minuteslength of the attack, by police accountBBC News
- two daysof national mourning that began SundayNew York Post
Three sides of the story
3 news outlets reported this
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Liberal1 outlet
The two officers and what they did
The Guardian leads with the two officers hailed as heroes and builds the piece around who they are. Jakub Kulik, a former paratrooper and volunteer firefighter, was hit by three bullets in a close-range exchange of fire. Artur Morański was shot in the chest.
Both are under 30, TVP World reported, and both had surgery. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they "probably saved many human lives," and Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said their response "prevented further human casualties." The paper adds that police arrived at the scene 23 seconds after the first emergency call, that footage shows the exchange of fire, and that a national appeal for blood donors was launched.
It quotes a Bielsko-Biala volunteer firefighter: "We're very proud of him." It describes the attack as believed to be inspired by far-right ideologies and reports that a mass was held for Morański in his home village.
Center1 outlet
A surgeon credited with saving an officer
The BBC leads with a surgeon who was having lunch near the square and, a colleague says, "undoubtedly" saved a gravely injured officer's life. The surgeon who spoke to the outlet Fakt says his colleague Mateusz Wierdak packed bandages into the officer's chest wound, and that "it doesn't matter who is who" when saving lives. The report then widens: the two officers were hailed as "true heroes" by the prime minister, and both emerged from comas on Sunday.
It gives the terror investigation, Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński's remark that the suspect was "fascinated by far-right ideologies," the nationalities of the dead and the bodies found at the suspect's home. It also carries witness accounts from London and West Yorkshire, Dublin Civil Defence volunteers who gave first aid, the mayor's request for honorary citizenship for the officers, and the reopening of the square on Sunday evening.
Conservative1 outlet
Hero cop fighting for his life
The New York Post leads with a "hero" officer "fighting for his life" after the attack, and a call from the country's leaders for blood donations. It describes video in which Jakub Kulik stands over the masked gunman and fires, then collapses. Kulik is a veteran of Poland's 6th Airborne Brigade, according to Polish media.
It quotes Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek's appeal that "one of his lungs is not functioning," and Żurek's statement that the attack was a terrorist offence. Regional governor Krzysztof Klęczar says one officer is out of a coma and the other remains in one. The Post reports that the gunman, who allegedly also murdered his parents and sister, held "very radical" and "ultra-nationalistic" views, per Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński.
It cites police spokesperson Katarzyna Cisło on the "wild ride" through the square and notes two days of national mourning.
- Liberal outlets did not mentionThe attack is being treated as a terrorist offence Reported by BBC News, New York Post
- Liberal outlets did not mentionBodies of the suspect's parents and sister were found at his home Reported by BBC News, New York Post
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- Number of people injured in the attack
- The Guardian: 17 injured
- BBC News: 15 injured
- New York Post: at least 15 injured
All sources: 3 articles from 3 outlets
Liberal (1)
Center (1)
- BBC News: Surgeon having lunch near Krakow shooting undoubtedly saved officer's life, colleague says
Conservative (1)
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