York man, 19, shot and injured in Krakow attack

ByDavid SpereallEmily JohnsonYorkshire and James KellyYour Voice

Updated 34 minutes ago

A 19-year-old British man is in a stable condition after being shot by a gunman in Krakow, Poland.

Harry Marchant, from York, suffered a gunshot wound in the attack on Saturday, which began shortly before 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) in Krakow's busy Main Market Square.

The 24-year-old attacker, who died in hospital on Monday, fatally shot four Polish citizens, a British national and an Austrian woman, while a further 15 people, including two police officers, were injured.

Marchant's family said he was receiving ongoing hospital treatment for his injuries.

"We can't express how grateful we are to the first responders, medical team, and the people of Poland for their help and care for Harry," they added.

"We ask for our privacy to be respected as we support Harry with his recovery."

Twin sisters Sienna and Rimini Chapman were also in Krakow at the time of the incident and said they "ran for our lives" when they heard shots.

The 20-year-olds, from Northallerton, North Yorkshire, were part of a group celebrating a friend's 21st birthday in Poland when the gunfire sounded.

Sienna told the BBC their experiences during the attack had been "terrifying".

The group of friends were walking towards a cafe in the square when they first heard gunfire.

"At first I thought the shots were to scare the pigeons away, but then everyone suddenly started running towards us," Sienna said.

"We realised something was wrong and ran in the opposite direction for our lives."

Rimini described the scene as "manic", with the group finding a cafe down a side street where they were ushered in by American tourists who had also heard the shots.

Staff and other customers inside the cafe had not heard gunfire and were "carrying on as normal", Rimini said.

She added: "Everyone else was completely oblivious. It was like we were in two different worlds where we had heard the shots but other people weren't aware.

"We were telling the staff to lock the doors, but I don't think they understood what we were saying because of the language barrier.

"After a few minutes though, they did lock the doors."

The sisters, originally from Worcester, said they had taken shelter under tables and stayed there for two hours while keeping in touch with family members and following BBC News updates about the attack online.

Sienna added: "We eventually felt safe enough to leave and return to our nearby hotel, where we stayed for the rest of the evening.

"The whole experience was terrifying. We were extremely shaken by what had happened."

Rimini said the group had initially planned to have a meal out to celebrate Millie's birthday on Saturday evening, but later focused on returning to the UK following the attack.

"We were all a bit fearful and we thought, how can we celebrate when we know people have died?

"We just sat and spoke about the whole thing. I still haven't been able to comprehend it."

In addition to the six people killed in central Krakow, police found the bodies of the gunman's parents and sister at his address on Saturday.

In the hours after the shooting, a Polish government minister said early investigations indicated the attacker had been inspired by "far-right ideologies".

On Monday, the country's Prosecutor Office said the investigation into his motive remained ongoing.