Man dies after police shooting in Poland’s Nowy Sącz

A 41-year-old man died after a police officer shot him during an intervention in Nowy Sącz, Poland, on October 11. Police said he held a knife, ignored orders to drop it and approached an officer.

Kraków police spokeswoman Katarzyna Cisło said officers received a report at 10:40 a.m. about a man carrying a knife on Lwowska Street. A responding patrol ordered him to discard the weapon. According to the police account, he did not comply and a stun gun failed to stop him.

When he continued towards one officer, another opened fire. The man was taken to hospital, where he died. Cisło said a prosecutor was working at the scene and the required procedures for reviewing the use of a firearm had begun.

Polish outlets Onet and Informator Brzeski also carried the police account. An investigation must establish the circumstances of the shooting. The published explanation comes from law enforcement and is not a final finding that the officer acted lawfully.

The incident came amid reports of other knife attacks in Poland. No connection between the Nowy Sącz incident and attacks near schools has been established. The cited reports did not provide the man’s motive or a final prosecutorial conclusion.