Kraków is waking up after a tragic Saturday in which six people were killed and 16 wounded in a shooting on the Main Square (Rynek Główny). On Sunday, the city center is gradually returning to normal, although part of the square remains closed and police technicians are still working at the scene.
Deputy Insp. Katarzyna Cisło, spokeswoman for the Lesser Poland police, told PAP that all of those wounded in the attack are alive.
“The square is still partly closed, and some areas are cordoned off with police tape, but it is partly coming back to life. Police technicians are still working in some places. We also can’t paralyze the city, which is why part of the square and the streets leading to it are already open,” Cisło said.
Traffic has also been restored on Dietla Street, near the intersection with Stradomska Street, where the pursuit of the shooter ended on Saturday. The car the 24-year-old was driving was towed to the police lot at the Provincial Police Headquarters. A detailed inspection of the vehicle is scheduled for Sunday.
Two more vehicles at the spot where the pursuit ended still have to be towed: the vehicle that the perpetrator’s car struck, and a police car. Police also plan to inspect a streetcar that was also shot at by the attacker.
In response to the tragedy, Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared a period of mourning in the city, in effect from Sunday, Nov. 8, through Wednesday, Nov. 11, inclusive. As a sign of mourning, flags on city buildings and municipal agencies have been draped in black crepe or lowered to half-staff. Mourning flags have also appeared on city streetcars and buses.
All events organized by the Kraków City Hall, municipal agencies and city-owned companies have been canceled for the duration of the mourning period. The mayor also urged organizers of other entertainment events to scale them back.
A two-day national mourning period has also been in effect since midnight Saturday into Sunday.
The shooting took place Saturday shortly after 3 p.m. on the Main Square in Kraków. A masked 24-year-old man drove his car onto the square and opened fire on random people. Six people were killed and 16 were wounded. The perpetrator was detained after an exchange of fire with police.
According to police, the perpetrator is a Polish citizen and a resident of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. He had a gun permit and had no prior criminal record and was not previously known to police. The bodies of three people, two women and a man, were found in his home. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that much indicates they were members of the attacker’s immediate family.
Source: PAP
