In a Kraków square on a Saturday, a single man turned an ordinary afternoon into a day of mourning, and in the minutes that followed, two young officers ran toward the danger rather than away from it. Six people lost their lives and seventeen were wounded, a reminder of how quickly public life can be broken by violence born of hatred. Yet the story also shows what people do in that breaking moment: a surgeon finishing a meal steps forward, a nation lines up to give blood, and a country's leaders name courage plainly. As Poland now waits for two men to recover, the question of what drove the at
Two Polish police officers hailed as heroes after confronting Kraków gunman
Six people were killed and 17 injured in the Kraków attack; two police officers were seriously wounded.
Police arrived 23 seconds after the first emergency call
Mark
Why are these two officers the center of the story?
Mimi
Because of timing. Police arrived 23 seconds after the first call, and the footage shows them trading fire and then detaining the gunman. Leaders say that stopped more deaths.
Luke
Careful with that last part. Tusk said they "probably" saved many lives, and Żurek said they prevented further casualties. Those are official judgments, not something anyone can count.
Mark
What do we actually know about their condition?
Mimi
Kulik was hit by three bullets and was critically injured. Morański was shot in the chest area. Both had surgery and were brought out of induced comas on Sunday.
Luke
That comes from Polskie Radio 24. We don't have a medical bulletin, so their prognosis is unknown.
Mark
And the surgeons?
Mimi
Two surgeons eating nearby, Pędziwiatr and Wierdak, helped. Wierdak stopped the bleeding in one officer's chest, with no gloves or protection.
Luke
Worth noting that "probably saved his life" is Pędziwiatr's view of his colleague's work. It's a surgeon's opinion, and a credible one, but it's still an opinion.
Mark
What about the motive?
Luke
It's described as "believed" to be inspired by far-right ideologies. That's not established, and the investigation is still open.
El Pulso
- Police reached the square just 23 seconds after the first emergency call, but the gunman had already been firing at random from his car.
- Six people are dead and seventeen injured, and the attack is being linked to far-right ideology.
- Two young officers, Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, were shot while chasing and subduing the suspect, and Kulik was critically hit by three bullets.
- Two off-duty local surgeons rushed to help, and a national appeal for blood donors has gone out.
- Both officers are now out of induced comas, and attention is shifting to their recovery and to the investigation into the attacker's motives.
In a Kraków square on a Saturday, a single man turned an ordinary afternoon into a day of mourning, and in the minutes that followed, two young officers ran toward the danger rather than away from it. Six people lost their lives and seventeen were wounded, a reminder of how quickly public life can be broken by violence born of hatred. Yet the story also shows what people do in that breaking moment: a surgeon finishing a meal steps forward, a nation lines up to give blood, and a country's leaders name courage plainly. As Poland now waits for two men to recover, the question of what drove the attacker remains open, even as the courage of those who stopped him is already beyond dispute.
Police reached Kraków's main square 23 seconds after the first emergency call. By then the suspect was in his car, firing at random at people gathered there. By the end of Saturday, six people were dead and seventeen injured, and two young officers who had gone after him were in surgery.
The gunman, a 24-year-old Polish national, is believed to have been inspired by far-right ideology. The officers, Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, are both under thirty. They pursued and detained him, and both were wounded. Footage from Sunday shows them exchanging fire with the suspect. One officer brought him to the ground and held him, firing his weapon several times, before collapsing, apparently injured himself.
Two local surgeons, Michał Pędziwiatr and Mateusz Wierdak, who had been eating nearby, stepped in. Wierdak worked without protective gear to stop the bleeding in the officer's chest. "This probably saved his life," Pędziwiatr said.
Kulik, a former paratrooper and volunteer firefighter from Bielsko-Biała, was hit by three bullets and underwent surgery. A national appeal for blood donors has followed. Morański, shot in the chest, also had surgery. Both men were brought out of induced comas on Sunday. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said they had "probably saved many human lives, disregarding the risk to their own."
Now both officers are conscious, and attention turns to their recovery and to the investigation into the attack and the suspect's far-right links.
Police reached Kraków's main square 23 seconds after the first emergency call came in. The suspect was inside his car, firing at random at people in the square. By the end of Saturday, six people were dead and 17 injured, and two young officers who had gone after him were in surgery.
The gunman is a 24-year-old Polish national. The attack is believed to have been inspired by far-right ideologies. The two officers, Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, are both under 30, according to the Polish news network TVP World. They pursued and detained the suspect, and both were wounded in doing so.
Footage that surfaced on Sunday shows the two officers exchanging fire with the gunman. One of them then brought the suspect to the ground and apprehended him, firing his own weapon several times. The officer then fell, apparently injured himself.
Two local surgeons, Michał Pędziwiatr and Mateusz Wierdak, were eating nearby and stepped in. Wierdak went to the officer who had subdued the attacker. Pędziwiatr told the Polish news website onet that the man needed urgent help. Wierdak, without protection or gloves, focused on stopping the bleeding in the officer's chest. "This probably saved his life," Pędziwiatr said.
Kulik is from the southern city of Bielsko-Biala. He is a former paratrooper and a volunteer firefighter. He was hit by three bullets, was critically injured in the close-range exchange, and underwent surgery on Saturday. A national appeal has gone out for blood donors. Morański was shot in the chest area and also had surgery. According to Polskie Radio 24, both men were brought out of medically induced comas on Sunday.
Poland's leaders were quick to praise them. Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X that they "probably saved many human lives, disregarding the risk to their own." Justice Minister Waldemar Żurek said their rapid response and heroism "prevented further human casualties."
In Bielsko-Biala, Kulik's fellow volunteer firefighters expressed pride. A firefighter from the city's Leszczyny district told the local site Bielsko.biala.pl: "We're very proud of him. He responds to emergencies just like we do." TVP World reported that Morański comes from Powroźnik, a village about 90 miles (150km) south-east of Kraków, close to the Slovak border. A mass was held for him at the local church on Sunday.
With both officers now conscious, attention turns to their recovery and to the investigation into the attack and the suspect's far-right links.
Citas Notables
They probably saved many human lives, disregarding the risk to their own.— Donald Tusk, Polish prime minister, on X
We're very proud of him. He responds to emergencies just like we do.— Volunteer firefighter from Bielsko-Biala's Leszczyny district
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