Surgeon credited with saving officer's life after Krakow shooting

A surgeon who was eating lunch near the Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland, on Saturday is believed to have saved a police officer's life after a gunman opened fire. The shooting resulted in the deaths of six people and left 15 individuals injured.

Professor Michal Pędziwiatr and his colleague, Dr Mateusz Wierdak, were dining with their families when the attack began. According to Professor Pędziwiatr, the doctors immediately moved to assist the wounded, including the perpetrator and two officers who were shot while attempting to neutralise the gunman, as no ambulances or emergency professionals were yet on the scene.

The two police officers, described as "true heroes" by the prime minister, regained consciousness from comas on Sunday. Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Polish attacker remains in a critical condition, and prosecutors have initiated a terror investigation into the incident, which officials suggested was motivated by "far-right ideologies."

The casualties included four Polish citizens, a British national, and an Austrian woman. Reflecting on the event, Professor Pędziwiatr told the media: "We saw the shooting attack. And what a surgeon can do in a situation like this?... We decided to help the victims as soon as possible."

He further explained their actions during the emergency, stating: "We rushed into the area where the shooting was and started our rescue, because there were no ambulances available, there were no professionals around."