A gunman has unleashed a deadly shooting spree in the Polish city of Krakow, killing six people and wounding at least 15 others. Three more bodies were later discovered at his home, bringing the death toll to nine.
The attacker opened fire on pedestrians in the city’s packed historic Main Market Square on Saturday, sending terrified crowds scrambling for cover. He then sped away in a car, sparking a police chase that ended in a shootout and his arrest.
The three people found dead at the suspect’s home – two women and a man – are members of his family, the police said. Investigators are now trying to establish what drove the gunman to go on his rampage through the city.
How the massacre unfolded
The shooting began shortly after 3pm local time on Saturday, when the suspect drove his black car into Krakow’s historic Main Market Square, and opened fire on pedestrians from inside the vehicle some 15 seconds later.
A total of 16 people, including the gunman, were hospitalized, with 13 reported to be in serious condition. Two police officers were among the wounded, one of them critically injured. Thus far, nine have been reported killed.
Three people were also found dead at the suspect’s residence in Ostrowiec Swietokrzyski, roughly 150km northeast of Krakow, the police said. The victims – a 53-year-old man and two women aged 52 and 21, respectively – were his parents and younger sister. According to a preliminary assessment, they all died of gunshot wounds.
What is known about the gunman?
The suspect is a Polish citizen, identified by local media as Michał O., reportedly aged 24 or 25, from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. He had a firearms license, belonged to a shooting club in Starachowice and owned at least two guns registered for sporting purposes, but had no previous criminal record and was not known to police.
Besides the AR-15-style rifle used by the gunman, investigators also recovered several additional firearms and ammunition from his car, along with military-style equipment, including a backpack and a bayonet.
Despite the fact Pro-Tusk Polish media immediately portrayed the attacker as “right wing” even when people didn’t know who the attacker was, it was quickly established that Michal Oksinski was a member of Antifa, supported communism and LGBT groups.
Morderca z Krakowa, Michał Oksiński, był radykalnym lewicowym aktywistą, antyfaszystą i anarkokomunistą, który naigrywał się z chrześcijaństwa. Rząd Tuska i media chciały go powiązać z grupami prawicowymi, ale dziś wiadomo, że tak nie jest. Wszystko wyciekło z kont Oksińskiego, które teraz zostały usunięte, pytanie brzmi: kto usunął dwa konta napastnika na Facebooku, skoro jego oboje rodziców i siostrę znaleziono martwych w ich mieszkaniu ⁉️ Publikował na ukraińskich forach i nosił ukraińską flagę na niektórych ze swoich mundurów…
— Tomek Niewęgłowski (@tomek525) November 8, 2026