Prosecutors weigh complaint against Kraków officer who shot the gunman

The attack on Rynek Główny

On Saturday, 7 November, a 24-year-old man drove a car onto the Rynek Główny in Kraków and opened fire with an automatic weapon at people at random. Six people were killed and 15 were injured, according to TVP Info. The attacker, identified in the press as Michał O., died two days after the attack. TVP Info reports that he is alleged to have shot his parents and sister earlier that morning in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, and that two of the victims were apparently killed in their beds, probably while asleep.

Two officers stopped the gunman

Senior Constable Jakub Kulik, 24, and Senior Constable Artur Morański, 27, chased the attacker, caught up with him and exchanged fire. TVP Info reports that the attacker wounded both officers, and when he tried to finish them off, Kulik got up and fired six or seven shots, neutralising him before sinking to the ground. Both officers suffered serious injuries and are recovering in hospital, where doctors described their condition as stable. Reports say the attack could have claimed more lives without their intervention.

The complaint and the prosecutors' response

On 12 November, Onet reported a complaint filed with the Kraków prosecutor's office about Kulik's use of a firearm. The complainant is a Pole living in London, who argues that the attacker no longer posed a threat when he was shot while lying on the ground. The document first reached the District Prosecutor's Office in Kraków and was then passed to the branch office that runs the investigation into the attack. The complaint also asks for an examination of the circumstances of the attacker's death in hospital. Prosecutor Eryk Stasielak, head of that branch, confirmed receipt of the complaint.

“We confirm that such a notification has reached us, and in line with the regulations we will look into it.”

Stasielak said prosecutors had not so far seen any irregularities in the officers' conduct and had no justified suspicion of a crime. After analysing the complaint, the office will decide whether to open proceedings or refuse, and it is not obliged to open an investigation.

Reactions from prosecutors, officials and the public

Kraków prosecutor Piotr Kosmaty wrote on social media, responding to questions about the officers' conduct, that the shots were justified.

“I believe that firing shots at the attacker lying on the ground was completely justified and in accordance with applicable law.”

Kosmaty added that what mattered was not the attacker's position but whether he still had access to weapons. Former police officer and shooting instructor Dariusz Tomysek said Kulik acted within his statutory powers and called the officers heroes. Prime Minister Donald Tusk and ministers praised the officers, according to Super Express. Super Express counted more than 350 comments under its post within under two hours, most of them rejecting the complaint.

Presidential award

On 9 November, President Karol Nawrocki personally presented both officers with the Officer's Cross of the Order of the Rebirth of Poland, just before the Silent March in Kraków held in honour of the victims. The same day, the attacker died two days after the shooting. The complaint surfaced three days later, when Onet reported it. The timeline below sets out the key dates.