A surgeon who provided emergency care to a severely wounded police officer in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Krakow, Poland, has been credited with saving the officer’s life. Professor Michal Pędziwiatr and Dr. Mateusz Wierdak, two surgeons who happened to be nearby with their families, rushed to assist victims when a gunman began randomly firing in the city’s Main Market Square on Saturday shortly before 15:00 local time. They’re shooting at people there, people are falling to the ground’,” PÄdziwiatr told news outlet Fakt, suddenly my son ran up and said: ‘Dad. It doesn’t matter who is who,” he added, when it comes to saving lives. In my opinion, he had the best chance of survival there, where there were specialists for precisely this type of injury,” he told Fakt, i insisted they take him there because. From London, heard gunfire and “yelled at my friends to run and we all sprinted for our lives”, ruby Catherine Warren. Eventually finding a hotel to hide inside, not knowing where the gunman was – or if there was more than one – they “just kept sprinting”. Tom Brook, from West Yorkshire, was inside a McDonald’s near the square when he heard “multiple gunshots and saw people running for cover”. I then walked into the square and saw paramedics working on someone outside [a shop] and there was a dead body covered in foil blankets 20 meters away,” he said. The rampage began shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Saturday in the historic centre of Krakow. And people fleeing as the sound of gunfire rang out, footage showed the attacker’s vehicle speeding through the centre of the city.
The attack, which lasted approximately three minutes, resulted in the deaths of six people, including a British national and an Austrian woman, while 15 others sustained injuries.
Pędziwiatr noted that his colleague, Wierdak, performed critical life-saving maneuvers on an officer shot in the chest during the gunfight with the suspect.
Pędziwiatr stated that Wierdak’s intervention—described colloquially as stuffing bandages into the wound—was vital, as it bridged the gap before ambulance arrival. If not for that, I don’t know how things would have turned out, as there was a long wait for the ambulance.
Pędziwiatr subsequently coordinated the transfer of the officer to the Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery at John Paul II Hospital.
By Sunday, the two officers, identified as senior constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański, were reported to have regained consciousness. Prime Minister of Poland had earlier hailed both men as true heroes for their actions in stopping the perpetrator and preventing further casualties. The mayor of Krakow has formally requested that both officers be granted the title of honorary citizens of the city.
The shooter, a 24-year-old Polish national, remains in critical condition. Authorities have launched a formal terror investigation into the incident, with the National Public Prosecutor’s Office leading the inquiry. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński indicated that evidence suggests the suspect was influenced by far-right, ultra-nationalist ideologies. While the attacker wore military-grade tactical gear and carried a military-style weapon, the government confirmed he was not a member of the Polish armed forces.
In a grim discovery, investigators found the bodies of the suspect’s parents and sister at his residence following the shooting. Witnesses near the scene described scenes of panic as bullets shattered shop windows and struck a tram. Among those assisting on-site were six Dublin Civil Defence volunteers who were in the city for a break. These trained individuals provided immediate haemorrhage control and CPR to victims.
Professor Pędziwiatr, who serves as the head of General, Oncological, Metabolic and Emergency Surgery at University Hospital, emphasized the neutrality of their actions, stating that their only priority was preserving life regardless of identity. The Main Market Square reopened on Sunday evening after a security cordon was lifted, as investigations into the motives and circumstances of the tragedy continue.
