Surgeons who attended Krakow shooting describe frantic rescue

According to BBC News, a shooting in the main market square of Kraków, Poland, on Saturday left six people dead and sixteen others injured. Two surgeons who happened to be eating lunch in the city centre rushed to help the victims as soon as the gunfire stopped.

Professor Michal Pędziwiatr and Dr Mateusz Wierdak were at a lunch with their families when they heard shots. Pędziwiatr’s son ran over to tell him that people were being shot and falling to the ground, the BBC reports, citing the Polish outlet Fakt.

What the surgeons did at the scene

Pędziwiatr told Fakt that he and his colleague treated everyone they found once they reached the square. This included the suspected attacker, who needed care, as well as wounded police officers. He said lifesaving work does not depend on who a person is.

Wierdak focused on an officer who had been shot in the chest. Pędziwiatr said his colleague pressed bandages deep into the wound to stop the bleeding. Both men said they believed this action had saved the officer’s life, since an ambulance took a long time to arrive.

Pędziwiatr then phoned John Paul II Hospital, where the department of thoracic and cardiac surgery is based. He said he pushed for the officer to be taken there because specialists in that type of injury worked at the hospital, and he believed it offered the best chance of survival.

Local media describe Wierdak as a well-known surgeon in Kraków. The University Hospital in Kraków lists Pędziwiatr as head of general, oncological, metabolic and emergency surgery.

The victims and the suspect

Police say six people were killed, four women and two men. Four of the dead were Polish nationals and one was a British man. The nationality of the sixth person, who was not a Polish citizen, has not yet been disclosed.

Among the injured were two senior police constables, Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański. Police have also said that three more bodies were found in an apartment linked to the alleged gunman. They have been identified as the suspect’s parents and sister.

Investigation and foreign volunteers

The National Public Prosecutor’s Office in Poland has launched an investigation into the attack. A unit that deals with terrorist offences is leading the case. Police are continuing their own inquiries into what happened in the square.

Six volunteers from Dublin Civil Defence were also in the city at the time. They were on a short break and were near the square when the shooting took place, according to James McConnell, an officer who spoke to RTE News. The volunteers, who are trained to give medical care, went to help the injured. McConnell said they gave CPR and worked to control severe bleeding.

Why the story matters

The attack has shaken one of Kraków’s best-known public spaces, and it has affected people from several countries. Officials have not yet confirmed a motive. Authorities have said they will share more information as the inquiry moves forward.

The accounts from the surgeons and the Dublin volunteers show how bystanders with medical training helped in the first minutes after the shooting. Police and prosecutors have not yet said when more details about the suspect or the investigation will be released.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• BBC News: Surgeon having lunch near Krakow shooting undoubtedly saved officer's life, colleague says

This article was written with the help of AI from reports by the outlets listed above. See our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.