Once the shooting stopped, surgeon Wierdak began working on a police officer who had been shot in the chest during the gunfight, while his colleague, Pędziwiatr, took care of other victims and the perpetrator.
An account of the immediate aftermath described paramedics working on someone outside in the square, with a dead body covered in foil blankets about 20 metres away.
The suspect, a 24-year-old Polish man, wore full military tactical gear and was described as having a military-grade weapon. The government said he was not a member of the Polish armed forces. He remained in a critical condition. The rampage began shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Saturday in the historic centre of the Polish city. Police said the attack lasted about three minutes.
Pędziwiatr told the news outlet Fakt that his son suddenly ran up and said:"Dad, they're shooting at people there, people are falling to the ground.". According to local media, Wierdak is a renowned surgeon in Krakow. Pędziwiatr said that when the two reached the scene they treated both the apparent attacker and the police officers.
One of two surgeons who treated victims in the streets after a mass shooting in Krakow said his colleague"undoubtedly"saved the life of a gravely injured police officer. Prosecutors launched a terror investigation after ministers said the attacker was apparently inspired by"far-right ideologies". Bullets shattered the glass fronts of shops, and a tram was shot at, police said.
Pędziwiatr said that when saving lives"it doesn't matter who is who.".