On a Saturday evening in Krakow, a gunman opened fire at random near the city's Main Market Square, and by the time the shots stopped six people had died and fifteen more were wounded. Into that disorder stepped two surgeons who happened to be dining nearby and were not on duty, and who ran toward the harm before the emergency services could reach it. They tended the wounded in the open street, including two police officers hurt while bringing the gunman under control, and the attacker himself. It is a reminder that in the first moments of violence, the people who arrive first are often ordina
Krakow Surgeon Describes Treating Gunman and Victims After Random Market Square Shooting
Six people were killed and 15 injured in the shooting, including two officers wounded while subduing the gunman.
Two diners who happened to be physicians
On a Saturday evening in Krakow, a gunman opened fire at random near the city's Main Market Square, and by the time the shots stopped six people had died and fifteen more were wounded. Into that disorder stepped two surgeons who happened to be dining nearby and were not on duty, and who ran toward the harm before the emergency services could reach it. They tended the wounded in the open street, including two police officers hurt while bringing the gunman under control, and the attacker himself. It is a reminder that in the first moments of violence, the people who arrive first are often ordinary citizens with a particular skill, and that their choice to treat even the one who did the harm is part of how a community answers such a day.
Two doctors were sitting over a meal near Krakow's Main Market Square on Saturday when a gunman began shooting at random. By the time the firing stopped, six people were dead and fifteen were injured.
Both men were surgeons, and neither was on duty. One of them, Professor Michal Pędziwiatr, has since spoken to the BBC. He said they ran toward the shooting and began giving aid, before the emergency services arrived. For a while, the street was being tended by two diners who happened to be physicians.
Their care reached beyond the gunman's victims. The pair also worked on two police officers who had been shot while subduing the attacker, and they treated the attacker as well. Pędziwiatr said he regards all of these people as victims. The source does not expand on his reasoning, so the record rests on the statement and on the fact of the care itself.
Much remains unreported. The material does not name the suspect, the weapon, or any motive, nor does it describe the condition of the wounded. What comes next will depend on statements from Polish authorities, who will need to explain the suspect, the motive, and the investigation. Until then, the clearest picture of that Saturday is the first minutes on the street, when two surgeons set down their meal and walked toward the gunfire.
Two doctors were sitting over a meal near Krakow's Main Market Square on Saturday when a gunman began shooting at random. By the time the firing stopped, six people were dead and 15 were injured.
Both men were surgeons, and neither was on duty. One of them, Professor Michal Pędziwiatr, has since spoken to the BBC about what happened next. He said they ran toward the area where the shooting had taken place and began giving aid. This was before the emergency services arrived, so for a period the street was being treated by two diners who happened to be physicians.
The wounded they reached were not limited to the people the gunman had fired at. According to the account, the pair also worked on two police officers who had been shot while subduing the attacker. They treated the attacker as well.
That last detail is the one that gave the BBC's report its headline. Pędziwiatr said he treats all of these people as victims. The quote is a short one, and the source does not expand on his reasoning, so what is on record is the statement and the fact of the care: the suspect was among those the two surgeons tried to help.
The figures come from the BBC's account of the attack: six killed and 15 injured, in a shooting that appears to have had no particular target. The injured include the two officers, who were hurt in the act of bringing the gunman under control.
Much remains unreported in the material available. It does not say who the suspect is, what weapon was used, or what may have driven the attack. It also does not describe the condition of the wounded, including the officers and the attacker, or say how the 15 injured are faring.
What to watch for next are statements from the Polish authorities, who will need to set out what is known about the suspect and the motive, and how the investigation is proceeding. Until then, the clearest picture of that Saturday comes from the first minutes on the street, when two surgeons put down their meal and went toward the shooting.
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He treats all of these people as victims, including the suspect he helped treat.— Professor Michal Pędziwiatr, surgeon, speaking to the BBC (paraphrased)
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