Poland: Suspect's family found shot dead before Krakow attack

A day after the deadly shooting rampage in central Krakow, Poland, investigators have uncovered a grim discovery that transforms the scope of the attack: three bodies were found in the home of the 24-year-old suspect in the town of Ostrówiec Świętokrzyski. The victims are the suspect's father, 53, mother, 52, and sister, 21, all shot to death. Polish authorities are now investigating the connection between the family murders and the attack that killed six people in Krakow's main square.

The discovery raises the total death toll across both scenes to nine. Investigators are working to establish when the family members were killed and whether the murders preceded the shooting spree in the city center.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was the first to report the discovery on Saturday evening, initially stating that bodies may have been found at the suspect's residence but cautioning that official confirmation was pending. Police later confirmed the victims were the suspect's immediate family members.

Poland's National Prosecutor's Office has opened a formal terror investigation covering both scenes. According to the prosecutor's statement, the suspect is believed responsible for the acts at both locations, and evidence collected so far points to a connection between the incidents.

The investigation is proceeding on two tracks: the murder of six people and attempted murder of many others in Krakow's main square, and the murder of three family members in their home. Prosecutors emphasized that investigative work continued through the night and that evidence collection and reconstruction of the sequence of events are ongoing.

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski described the suspect, a 24-year-old Polish citizen, as apparently influenced by far-right extremist and nationalist ideology. According to the minister, preliminary findings point to such views, though authorities have not yet presented a complete picture of the motive.

Polish media reports indicate the suspect and his father were members of a shooting club, and the young man held a firearms license. Police found additional weapons in the family home.

In the attack on Krakow's main square, six people were killed and 16 wounded, including the suspect himself and two police officers injured during the confrontation with him. According to ABC, one officer has been brought out of a medically induced coma, while the second officer remained in a medically induced coma in relatively stable condition.

Among the dead, a 32-year-old British citizen has been identified. The wounded include citizens of Poland, Austria, Portugal, Germany, Britain and Russia. Two of the Polish wounded have already been released from hospital.

Poland has declared two days of national mourning, November 8 and 9. Flowers and candles have been laid in Krakow's main square in memory of those killed, while police continue investigative operations and security in the area.

What began as a mass shooting in a city center has now expanded into a far more complex investigation: alongside the attack that killed six in central Krakow, Polish investigators are probing the murder of three members of the suspect's family in their home. The question of motive, the sequence of events, and the connection between the two scenes stands at the center of the investigation.