Krakow Shooting Leaves at Least Five Dead in Main Market Square

At least five people were killed and more than a dozen injured when a gunman opened fire in Krakow’s Main Market Square on Saturday afternoon, 7 November 2026. Polish police said the gunman was shot by officers and taken to hospital, as emergency services worked through the afternoon in one of Europe’s busiest historic squares.

The shooting happened at about 3pm local time in the Rynek Glowny, the vast medieval square at the heart of Poland’s second-largest city. Shots were fired from a passing car, according to a fire service spokesperson, and an air ambulance helicopter had landed in the square as paramedics treated the wounded near St Mary’s Basilica.

Krakow Shooting — Quick Reference Summary

Shots fired from a passing car in the square

The first reports spoke of gunfire in the Main Market Square, with Krakow’s municipal government saying on X that deaths and injuries had been reported after shots were fired in the square. A spokesperson for the local fire service told Polsat News that the perpetrator fired from a passing car, and Polish broadcaster TVN24 reported that a car had driven into the square before the shooting began.

Emergency crews converged on the scene within minutes. RMF24 reported that a major rescue operation was under way and that a medical rescue helicopter had landed on the square itself. Ambulance crews worked near St Mary’s Basilica, the Gothic church that dominates one corner of the square, while police also mounted an operation on Dietla Street, a main road on the edge of the Old Town.

Krakow’s city council confirmed the casualty reports on X without adding detail in its first message. The square, one of the largest medieval market squares in Europe, is normally crowded with tourists, market stalls and cafe tables on a Saturday afternoon.

How the reported death toll rose through the afternoon

The casualty figures changed several times in the first hours, as they often do in a fast-moving incident, and the numbers below reflect what each source reported at the time.

The earliest figure came from TVN24, which cited the fire brigade in reporting two people killed and at least 10 injured. Reuters carried the same figures in its first report, noting that Prime Minister Donald Tusk had said police were investigating and that he was being kept informed by the interior ministry.

Later updates raised the toll. Reuters reported at least three people killed, and Polish police then said in a statement on X that five people had died and more than a dozen were injured. The police added that the perpetrator had been shot by officers and was being transported to a hospital, and that emergency services were still operating at the scene.

What Polish police and Donald Tusk have said

Polish police said several people had been wounded and that a suspected gunman had been arrested following the incident, before their later statement that the perpetrator had been shot. The two statements reflect how the picture changed as officers secured the scene, and the later police account is the one used for the casualty figures in this article.

Donald Tusk described the shooting as “tragic” in a post on X. “I am being kept informed by the Minister of the Interior about the situation in Krakow,” he wrote, adding that “the police are investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack.”

No official statement has named the gunman or given a motive. Authorities had not immediately released information about the identity of the shooter, a possible motive or the condition of those injured, and that remained the position in the latest reports at the time of writing.

The square at the centre of the attack

Krakow sits about 250 kilometres south of Warsaw and is Poland’s second-largest city. Its Main Market Square dates to the 13th century and is ringed by historic townhouses, the Cloth Hall and St Mary’s Basilica, whose twin towers are one of the city’s defining sights.

The square draws large crowds of residents and visitors year-round, and the shooting happened in daylight on a Saturday afternoon, when the area would have been busy. The air ambulance landing in the square itself underlines how quickly the emergency response had to work in a pedestrianised space with limited vehicle access.

Poland has strict gun laws and mass shootings are rare in the country, which is part of why the attack drew immediate national attention and a response from the prime minister within the hour.

What remains unknown about the Krakow shooting

Several basic questions have no public answer yet. The gunman’s identity has not been released, and police have not said whether he acted alone. No motive has been confirmed, and officials have not said whether the attack is being treated as terrorism, a personal dispute or something else.

The condition of the injured is also unclear. Reports confirmed that police officers were among the wounded, but no hospital has published a breakdown of injuries, and the exact number of people hurt beyond ‘more than a dozen’ has not been fixed. The gunman’s condition after being shot by police has not been disclosed either.

These gaps are normal in the first hours after an attack, and they are the reason the casualty figures in this article are attributed to their sources rather than stated as final. Readers should expect the numbers to be revised as police and hospitals confirm more detail.

What happens next in the investigation

Police will now work through the background and circumstances of the attack, as Tusk said they were doing, and the square is expected to remain cordoned off while forensic teams examine the scene. Investigators will review CCTV from the square and surrounding streets, speak to witnesses and examine the vehicle used in the attack.

Further statements are expected from Polish police and the interior ministry as the investigation develops. The shooting comes in a week of major world news, including the impeachment and arrest of Paraguay’s president after the collapse of Ueno Bank, and it will test Poland’s emergency services and government communications in the days ahead.

Frequently asked questions

How many people were killed in the Krakow shooting?

At least five people were killed, according to the latest statement from Polish police. Earlier reports put the toll at two, then three, as the figures were updated through the afternoon.

How many people were injured?

More than a dozen people were injured, Polish police said. Police officers were among the wounded, but the exact number of injured officers has not been publicly confirmed.

Who was the gunman?

The gunman’s identity has not been released. Polish police said the perpetrator was shot by officers and taken to hospital. No motive has been confirmed.

Was the attack terrorism?

That has not been publicly confirmed. Police said they were investigating the background and all the circumstances of the attack, and no motive has been stated.

Is Krakow’s Main Market Square closed?

Police mounted an operation in the square and on nearby Dietla Street, with emergency services working at the scene into the evening. Visitors should follow police advice and avoid the area until it reopens.

Myth-busting: what the first reports got wrong

Myth: the death toll was two.

Early reports from TVN24, citing the fire brigade, said two people had been killed. That figure was superseded as police confirmed more deaths, and the latest police statement puts the toll at at least five.

Myth: the gunman escaped.

Some early reporting said only that a suspect had been arrested. Polish police later said the perpetrator had been shot by officers and was being taken to hospital, so he is in custody in a medical sense rather than at large.

Myth: the motive is already known.

No motive has been confirmed by police or the government. Any claim about why the attack happened is speculation until investigators say otherwise.