Michal Oksinski, suspect in Kraków massacre, dies in hospital

A 24-year-old Polish man suspected of carrying out the mass shooting that killed six people in Kraków’s historic centre on 7 November has died in hospital, police said early on 9 November.

The suspect, identified as Michal Oksinski, was badly wounded in a shootout with officers who intervened shortly after the attack on the city’s main square. Police said 15 other people were injured in the attack.

According to the Małopolskie Voivodeship police, the assailant drove to the main square on the afternoon of Saturday, 7 November, and opened fire on passers-by and tourists. Among the six people killed were citizens of the United Kingdom and Austria.

Police operation and related findings

Officers arrived within minutes and engaged the attacker, who was seriously wounded in the exchange of fire. Two police officers were also hurt; one of them remains in a serious condition, authorities said.

Investigators later searched the suspect’s family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski and found three more bodies there — his parents and his younger sister — for which he is also a suspect. That brings the total number of victims linked to the two scenes to nine.

“We inform you that the perpetrator of the tragic events died early this morning in hospital,” the Małopolskie Voivodeship police said. Prosecutors said the investigation will continue to determine whether the attack was motivated by an extremist ideology, whether the suspect acted alone and whether criminal charges with a terrorist character are warranted.

Photo: press material from the event