Kraków residents under fire: surgeons provided first aid at the Main Market Square
Saturday, 7 November, 3pm – shooting at the Main Market Square in Kraków. A black Subaru drove onto the plaza and gunfire erupted. Six people were killed and 15 were injured.
Shooting in Kraków city centre
Saturday, 7 November, shortly after 3pm. Dramatic events unfolded at the Main Market Square in Kraków. A black Subaru drove onto the plaza and a burst of gunfire erupted. Six people were killed. The attacker – a 24-year-old from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski – wounded 15 others.
Michał O. fled by car until a collision at the junction of Stradomska and Dietla streets with another vehicle. He jumped out of the Subaru and opened fire at the police officers pursuing him. He wounded two officers. He was also shot.
Surgeons at lunch became witnesses to tragedy
Dr Mateusz Wierdak and Prof. Michał Pędziwiatr – surgeons from the University Hospital in Kraków – witnessed the end of this pursuit. They were eating lunch with their families in a nearby restaurant right by the junction of Stradomska and Dietla streets. "We went outside, we were already saying goodbye. Suddenly my son shouts that they're shooting at people over there, and they're falling to the ground. We took shelter in a pharmacy, we witnessed an exchange of fire between police and the attacker," Prof. Pędziwiatr described in an interview with RMF24.
When the gunfire ceased, Prof. Pędziwiatr and Dr Wierdak ran to the injured. Prof. Pędziwiatr looked after one of the police officers, covering him with his coat and dressing his wounds. Other police officers provided basic equipment – gauze and dressings – to control bleeding. The injured officers remained conscious and had gunshot wounds to the chest. The attacker was also conscious, complaining of pain – he had injuries to the abdomen, thigh and chest.
At the scene, a random driver who found himself in the line of fire was also injured, suffering a head trauma. His condition was serious. Prof. Pędziwiatr emphasises that many more people than just two surgeons were involved. "Police officers, random passers-by and medical personnel were engaged. Everyone should be taken into account," he said in an interview with RMF FM.
Prof. Pędziwiatr also notes: "The police were there from the beginning and assisted us. Some of the police officers are also paramedics. When we arrived at the scene, the area was already being secured by officers."
Directing the injured to hospitals
Thanks to the surgeons' knowledge of Kraków's medical situation, they ensured the injured were taken to the appropriate facilities. One of the police officers was sent to the Jan Paul II Hospital, the other to Narutowicz Hospital. The attacker and another injured person were taken to the University Hospital. A man with facial wounds was taken to Rydygier Hospital.
"Jan Paul II Hospital is not considered first choice in such cases, but I knew that the injured officer would have the greatest chance of survival there. I called the duty doctor and they acted excellently, opening the operating theatre," Prof. Pędziwiatr recalled.
Overall, 16 people were admitted to six Kraków hospitals. One person remains in a serious condition, the perpetrator in a critical condition. Two people have already been discharged. Among the injured are 11 Polish nationals and five foreign nationals.
Investigation and discoveries in the attacker's flat
The public prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into Saturday's attack as a possible act of terrorism. In the flat of the 24-year-old attacker in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, the bodies of his 21-year-old sister, 52-year-old mother and 53-year-old father were found. All had gunshot wounds.
Prof. Pędziwiatr concludes: "We did what anyone with medical training would have done in our place. We don't consider ourselves heroes."
Source: RMF24