Thousands of people gathered in Krakow's historic Market Square on Monday night for a silent march to honor the victims of a deadly shooting rampage that shocked the nation. The crowd was led by Poland's president and prime minister, bitter political rivals who set aside their differences in a rare display of unity after the country's deadliest attack in modern times.
A City in Mourning
As the marchers reached the square, a bugler played from the tower of St. Mary's Basilica. Many carried flowers and candles, placing them at makeshift shrines that now dot the cobblestones, each marking the spot where someone died. The atmosphere was somber as residents struggled to comprehend the violence that unfolded on Saturday.
The alleged gunman, identified by local media as 24-year-old Michal Oksinski, died in hospital early Monday after being critically injured in a shoot-out with police. He had not regained consciousness. Initially, the interior minister claimed Oksinski was driven by far-right extremist views, but the national prosecutor's office now says it is too soon to say he was inspired by any ideology.
"The minister wanted to win domestic political points. That's not responsible behavior," said Dr. Pawel Musialek of Jagiellonian University, suggesting that the attack may have been more akin to something from the darknet than a politically motivated act.
Investigating the Motive
Investigators are examining Oksinski's electronic devices and a number of badges he had attached to his military-style outfit. A yellow Gadsden flag with a coiled snake symbol was displayed in his bedroom. "It has various meanings of freedom and rebellion," a prosecutor's spokesman emphasized. "Not necessarily negative."
The bodies of Oksinski's parents and sister were discovered at his home. It is alleged that he shot them before driving some 200km (125 miles) south to continue the killing in Krakow.
Two days after the attack, shops and cafes around the market square are beginning to fill up again, but the mood remains subdued. A Zara clothes shop is still boarded up after bullets smashed its glass. A local man in his 50s died just outside.
Jo, a Scottish tourist, witnessed paramedics fighting to save him. "They got there ridiculously fast," she said. "It was all pretty grim." Like many, she initially mistook the rifle shots for fireworks.
On the opposite corner of the square, beside another cluster of flowers, people pause to take pictures of the holes blasted into the wall by gunfire.
Victims and Heroes
One of the six victims has been identified as a Polish painter in her 50s, a mother of four who was in town with friends for an exhibition opening. A British citizen and an Austrian who died have not yet been publicly named. Several drivers of the horse-drawn carriages that usually trot tourists around the square were seriously injured.
"This is supposed to be a safe place!" exclaimed Olha, a Ukrainian citizen who moved to Krakow for safety when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. She works in a nearby chocolate shop and recalls how people rushed into her store on Saturday to escape the gunman, who was firing through the window. "We left our own country for safety. This is supposed to be a safe place!" she said. "It's so sad, and so scary. Especially that he drove all the way here for two hours, planning this and thinking about it." She regrets that the gunman did not survive. "So many are dead, so many lives have been ruined, and now there will be no justice."
At the spot where Oksinski's car was intercepted and he was shot by police, another memorial honors the officers still in hospital. A girl named Bianka left a card reading: "Thank you Mr Policemen, get better soon." A couple of steps away, bullet holes riddle the glass. "This man was a real hero, he didn't hesitate," said Ania, referring to officer Jakub Kulik, who was shot in the chest and remains in serious condition. "We're here to help him fight for his life."
Gun Laws Under Scrutiny
When Oksinski's car was searched, four firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were found, all legally owned by the alleged killer and his father. Both were members of the Swit Starachowice sports club, which has a shooting range. A spokesman described Oksinski as unremarkable, with average competition results and normal behavior. He had visited the club only three times this year, most recently in August with his father.
Gun ownership in Poland has grown considerably since the war broke out in Ukraine, but this is the first mass shooting anyone here can remember. Inevitably, it has raised questions about the checks in place for gun ownership, including psychological tests, all of which Oksinski passed. On Monday, the government announced an urgent review.
"Nothing like this has ever happened before, it's terrible," a young man named Wojtek told the BBC. He expressed relief that the gunman was Polish, saying, "People here are already against immigration, so that would have been even worse."
Ania believes Poles will pull through, though the country's image as a low-crime oasis has been shattered. Most of all, she is angry that Oksinski died without accounting for the devastation he allegedly wrought.
