OMM Newsroom
According to AnewZ, a suspect in Saturday’s shooting in central Krakow, Poland, which left six people dead, died in hospital on Monday morning. A representative of a shooting club said the suspect had demonstrated a high level of marksmanship resembling military-style shooting.
Adam Czyb, a member of the “Świt Starachowice” shooting club, said the suspect had shown unusual accuracy. The 55-year-old told “Reuters” on Sunday: “I could not shoot like that.”
The club is located in Starachowice, about 175 kilometres northeast of Krakow. Reports say the suspect joined the club in 2022 and visited the shooting range only a few times. He went to the range twice this year, accompanied each time by his father, a long-time club member.
Czyb added that the suspect had never been seen at the range wearing a uniform or carrying military-style equipment.
The shooting took place on November 7. It has been described as Poland’s first mass shooting of this kind. The bodies of the suspect’s father, mother and sister were also found at the family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, a city of about 60,000 people in southeastern Poland. Officials believe they may also have been killed by the suspect.
Authorities have not officially identified the 24-year-old suspect or provided details about his possible motives.
The Polish government said the attacker may have been influenced by right-wing extremist ideology. Nationalist opposition politicians have disputed the claim, while officials have not yet disclosed further evidence.
The incident has caused widespread shock in Poland. Mass shootings are rare in the country, and many people have considered Poland safer than some parts of Western Europe.
Officials said the suspect and his family members held licences for a total of 11 firearms. Gun ownership in Poland is lower than in several other European countries. However, interest in firearms has risen since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The investigation is ongoing. Poland has declared two days of national mourning on Sunday and Monday. Officials are investigating the circumstances of the killings, the suspect’s motives and how he acquired his shooting skills.
