Man who fired at police detained in Krakow: no casualties

On Thursday, 12 November, an incident occurred in Krakow during which a 39-year-old man fired twice towards law enforcement officers. Police detained the suspect, and there are no casualties. Preliminary data indicates that the weapon he used is a starter gun, meaning it fires blank cartridges.

Circumstances of the incident on Bieżanowska Street

Shortly after 13:00, police began receiving reports of a man holding an object resembling a pistol. He was spotted in the area of Bieżanowska Street, to which a unit was immediately dispatched.

During the detention, the man opened fire towards the police officers. Law enforcement officers fired warning shots, after which the suspect threw away the object from which he had fired.

«Чоловіка знешкодили. Два постріли були зроблені в бік поліції. Ніхто не поранений» (The man was neutralised. Two shots were fired towards the police. No one was injured), stated Piotr Szpach, the press secretary of the Krakow police.

Nature of the weapon and unit actions

According to the police's preliminary assessment, the weapon was a starter gun: it fires blank cartridges and is incapable of causing injuries. However, a final conclusion will only be made after the examination of the seized item.

«Тільки після огляду ми зможемо зі стопроцентною впевненістю сказати, чи була це шумова зброя чи щось інше» (Only after the examination can we say with one hundred percent certainty whether it was a starter gun or something else), explained Jakub Mirochna, a representative of the Krakow police press service.

The department emphasised that the unit's actions at the scene complied with regulations. «Вони виконали свою роботу дуже добре, так, як і мали» (They did their job very well, as they were supposed to), Mirochna added.

Investigation of motives

Initially, police received information that the armed man was moving by car. This version was quickly checked but was not confirmed: the suspect was moving on foot. The motives for his actions are currently unknown.

«Поведінку чоловіка та його мотиви зараз встановлюють. Дайте поліцейським працювати, головне, що ніхто не отримав поранень» (The man's behaviour and his motives are currently being established. Let the police do their work; the main thing is that no one was injured), Mirochna noted.

Context: events at the Main Square

This incident occurred against the backdrop of tragic events last Saturday, when a 24-year-old man drove a car onto Krakow's main square, Rynek Główny, and opened fire with automatic weapons. As a result of the attack, six people died, and another 16 were injured, including two police officers and the attacker himself, who died in hospital on Monday.