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'Get down': Stamford man recounts Krakow shooting

Alan Webberand
Emma Petrie,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
AFP via Getty Images A Polish police car is passing through a police checkpoint. A police officer is standing to the side lifting police tape to allow the car through. In the background are historical buildings.AFP via Getty Images
The attack on Saturday began about 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) in the centre of Krakow

A man from Lincolnshire has described how he escaped a shooting in Poland that killed six people.

Andrew Hill, from Stamford, was in Krakow for a weekend with his family when the attack in the city's main market square began on Saturday afternoon.

He said he took shelter in a nearby shop, jumping on fellow tourists, including a child, and shouted "get down" as people screamed.

The gunman, who is believed to have been inspired by far-right ideology, also injured more than a dozen others before being shot by police. He remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Andrew Hill A close up of the shop window which is a large piece of glass completely shattered, obscuring the mannequins behind it.Andrew Hill
Andrew says the shop next to where he took shelter had its window blown out in the attack

Hill said he was making his way back to his rental apartment when he heard "distant bangs".

"I thought they were fireworks initially, and then it got closer and closer, and it became pretty obvious then that it was gunshots, and that was further confirmed by the sound of police sirens right behind.

"I dived into the shop door, dived on top of a couple of people, including a small child, and just said, 'get down, get down'.

"There were lots of screams. There was another bang, and it blew out the window of the shop next to us.

"It all happened very quickly."

After the shooting had stopped, Hill walked out of the shop and saw a man lying on the floor who he said had been shot in the shoulder.

"There was just a sense of bewilderment on the street…people still running and not knowing where to go," he added.

Andrew Hill Andrew is wearing a blue jacket over a chequered shirt and looks directly into the camera. Achurch can be seen in the background.Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill was on a weekend trip in Krakow

The Krakow branch of Poland's National Prosecutor's Office said the shooting, by a 24-year-old Polish national, constituted "a terror offence".

Four women and two men were killed, one of which was a 32-year-old British man.

Sixteen more people were injured, including two police officers.

The Market Square, alongside adjoining streets and the suspect's escape route, remained closed on Sunday.

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