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The family of the Polish maniac suspected of killing six people and leaving 15 others injured died from apparent gunshot wounds before his deadly rampage in a packed tourist square.
The alleged gunman’s 53-year-old dad, 52-year-old mom and 21-year-old sister were found inside the family’s apartment in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, around 93 miles northeast of Krakow, shortly before 10 p.m. on Saturday, according to Świętokrzyskie Province police.
All three had injuries initially believed to be gunshot wounds, authorities said. Investigators also seized seven firearms from the apartment.
The 24-year-old shooter, who local outlets identified as Michal O., opened fire at multiple spots in Krakow’s historic Main Square hours before the grisly discovery on Saturday afternoon.
He drove around the busy tourist hotspot in a black Subaru, firing at people running for cover before police shot and wounded him and took him into custody.
Four women and two men, including three Polish nationals and a British citizen, were killed.
The alleged shooter’s sister, who lived in Kraków, had been visiting her parents when the tragedy unfolded, according to Polish newspaper Fakt, citing the family’s neighbors.
Neighbors described the mom, a cashier at grocery store Biedronka, and the family as “normal people,” while the suspected shooter was often “silent.”
“He’s a bit strange. He never talked. When he remembered, which was rare, he’d say hello. And he had his hood pulled over his head. I’ve never seen him in camouflage,” neighbor Zdzisław Szostak told the outlet.
Szostak also recalled that the 24-year-old had an arsenal of weapons, but he believed they were for use at a shooting range.
“It didn’t seem dangerous to me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk hailed Senior Constable Jakub Kulik and Senior Constable Artur Morański, who confronted the gunman during the Krakow attack, as “heroes.”
“They likely saved many lives, without regard for the risk of losing their own,” Tusk said.
“Their condition is serious, but they are receiving excellent care. All of Poland is rooting for you,” he added.
Kulik, a former soldier who served in the country’s 6th Airborne Brigade, was shot three times as he “stood up to fight the armed attacker.”
Police have issued an urgent appeal for AB Rh-positive blood donations for the injured officer, saying one of his lungs was no longer functioning.
“Senior Constable Jakub Kulik, who did not hesitate to confront an armed attacker, is fighting for his life in hospital,” Warsaw Police said.
Fresh details about the suspect’s disturbing behavior have also emerged from a former classmate, who recalled him drawing graphic scenes of school shootings.
“I remember one situation where we were sitting in class and he was drawing pictures, and on those pictures he’d draw people hanging or someone coming in with a gun,” the woman told Radio Eska.
“We’d ask him what it was, and he’d say it was an attack on the school, that there were bodies lying there, and that he was coming into the school with that gun,” she said.
The shooter was described by Poland’s interior minister as holding “very radical” and “ultranationalistic” views.
Authorities said he wore military-style clothing and a bulletproof vest during Saturday’s attack, and used a military-type long gun. Officers also found other weapons and ammunition in his vehicle.
Mass shootings are relatively rare in the country, which has a population of around 37 million.
