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WorldPublished by BBC World • 11/8/2026, 6:22:53 PMOpen Original Report (BBC World) ↗

Surgeon having lunch near Krakow shooting undoubtedly saved officer's life, colleague says

One of two surgeons who treated victims on the streets in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Krakow, Poland said his colleague"undoubtedly" saved the life of a gravely injured police officer.

Surgeon having lunch near Krakow shooting undoubtedly saved officer's life, colleague says
Image supplied by BBC World.

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BBC World
Investigations continued in central Krakow on Sunday before Main Market Square reopened
Investigations continued in central Krakow on Sunday before Main Market Square reopened

Images BBC World published with this report. Click one to open the source.

Reported by BBC World

One of two surgeons who treated victims on the streets in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Krakow, Poland said his colleague"undoubtedly" saved the life of a gravely injured police officer.

The pair were eating near the city's Main Market Square on Saturday when a gunman began firing at random, killing six and injuring 15.

The doctors raced to treat both the attacker and two officers shot while subduing the perpetrator.

More from the original report

On Sunday, the officers - both hailed as "true heroes" by the prime minister for preventing further deaths - emerged from comas.

Prosecutors launched a terror investigation after ministers previously said the 24-year-old Polish attacker - who remains in a critical condition - was apparently inspired by "far-right ideologies".

A British national and Austrian woman were among those killed alongside four Poles.

Professor Michal Pędziwiatr and Dr Mateusz Wierdak were having lunch in central Krakow with their families when they heard gunshots, local media reported.

"Suddenly my son ran up and said: 'Dad, they're shooting at people there, people are falling to the ground'," Pędziwiatr told news outlet Fakt.

Pędziwiatr said when they got to the scene, they treated both the apparent attacker and the police officers.

"When it comes to saving lives, it doesn't matter who is who," he added.

Once the shooting stopped, Pędziwiatr said he took care of the other victims and the perpetrator, while Wierdak began working on the police officer who was shot in the chest during the gunfight.

Watch: Doctor who treated victims of Krakow shooting speaks to the BBC

"He, to put it colloquially, stuffed all the bandages into [the police officer's] chest and stuck his hands in," he told Fakt.

"If not for that, I don't know how things would have turned out, as there was a long wait for the ambulance."

Meanwhile, Pędziwiatr said he called John Paul II Hospital where the Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery is located.

"I insisted they take him there because, in my opinion, he had the best chance of survival there, where there were specialists for precisely this type of injury," he…

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Published via BBC World • Source domain: bbc.com
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