Poles have raised more than PLN 6 million for the two police officers who stopped Saturday’s mass shooting in Kraków, with more than 113,000 people contributing to an online campaign as the country rallies around those affected by the tragedy.
The fundraiser was launched on Saturday evening by Krzysztof Stanowski, founder of Polish media outlet Kanał Zero, to support officers Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański and their families.
By late Monday morning, 9 November, the appeal had passed PLN 6 million, according to Radio ZET’s report on the rapidly growing fundraising campaign.
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The campaign began just hours after the officers were seriously wounded while confronting a gunman who had opened fire in Kraków’s historic Main Market Square.
Six people were killed and 15 others injured in the attack, which prompted two days of national mourning.
The financial response has become one of the most visible expressions of public solidarity following the tragedy.
More than 113,000 people contribute to officers’ fundraiser
The campaign, titled Dla policjantów i ich rodzin — For the police officers and their families — was established on the Polish crowdfunding platform Zrzutka.pl.
Its fundraising page, organised under Stanowski’s name, describes the appeal as support for the officers who risked their lives in Kraków and for their loved ones.
Donations arrived rapidly after the campaign launched.
By Sunday lunchtime, the total had exceeded PLN 3 million. Later that afternoon, it passed PLN 4 million, before crossing PLN 6 million on Monday morning.
According to TVP World’s reporting on Monday, the appeal had attracted more than 110,000 contributors in less than two days.
Radio ZET subsequently reported that the number had risen beyond 113,000.
The money is intended to support the officers and their families as they face the consequences of their injuries.
Stanowski has described the appeal as an expression of gratitude for their actions, not solely a fund for immediate medical bills. The publicly available campaign description does not yet provide a detailed allocation or distribution plan.
The figures represent donations reported as raised through the appeal, rather than confirmation that the money has already been transferred to the beneficiaries.
Both wounded officers have regained consciousness
Senior Constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański were seriously injured while confronting the attacker on Saturday afternoon.
Their intervention helped bring the shooting to an end. Police officials and Prime Minister Donald Tusk have credited the officers with preventing further deaths.
Both men required operations and hospital treatment following the confrontation.
On Monday, National Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Przemysław Nowak confirmed that both officers had regained consciousness on Sunday, although their injuries remained serious.
According to the prosecutor’s medical update reported by Radio ZET, several other people injured in the attack also remained seriously ill.
A particularly moving account emerged on Monday concerning Morański, who comes from Powroźnik, a village near the southern Polish town of Muszyna.
Jan Golba, the mayor of Muszyna, said that after waking from a lengthy operation, Morański’s first concern was his fellow officer.
“Is Kuba alive?” he reportedly asked, referring to Kulik.
The account was shared by Golba and subsequently reported by the Polish Press Agency and Polish media.
Golba also announced that Muszyna would seek an appropriate way to honour Morański for his bravery, while respecting the family’s request for privacy during his recovery.
Poland-24 previously reported on how the two wounded officers stopped the attacker and how nearby surgeons helped provide emergency treatment.
Separate appeals support victims and their families
The public response has extended beyond the police officers.
The TVN Foundation announced on Monday that it had committed PLN 500,000 to support victims and their families following the attack.
It also launched a public fundraising initiative called Solidarni z Krakowem — Solidarity with Kraków.
In its official announcement, the foundation said the appeal would support those injured in the shooting and the relatives of people who lost their lives.
The TVP Foundation, associated with Poland’s public broadcaster, also announced its own fundraising campaign on Monday.
Its official appeal for families and injured victims invited donations through designated payment channels.
These are separate initiatives from Stanowski’s fundraiser for the police officers. The amounts raised or committed by different organisations should therefore not be treated as a single collective total.
Kraków carriage drivers seek help for four injured colleagues
Another fundraising appeal is supporting four members of Kraków’s historic horse-drawn carriage community who were injured during the attack.
The city’s carriage drivers are a familiar presence around the Main Market Square, taking visitors through the streets of Kraków’s Old Town.
Three women and one man from the community were among those wounded on Saturday.
They have been identified by their first names as Basia, Marta, Agnieszka and Piotrek.
A verified Zrzutka.pl fundraiser for the injured carriage drivers, organised by Zuzanna Stawowy, is seeking PLN 500,000 to help with medical treatment, rehabilitation, psychological support and financial difficulties during recovery.
The campaign has attracted thousands of contributors.
The appeal explains that the injured drivers are friends and colleagues who worked together in the square and now face potentially lengthy recoveries.
The organisers are seeking assistance not only with immediate treatment but also with the financial consequences of being unable to work.
A country responds to tragedy with solidarity
The fundraising efforts have emerged during a period of national mourning following the shooting on 7 November.
The six victims killed in Kraków included Polish and foreign nationals, while police subsequently discovered three additional bodies at the suspected gunman’s family home in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.
The 24-year-old suspect died in hospital on Monday morning after being wounded during the police intervention.
Prosecutors say the investigation into the attack and the three deaths at the family home will continue.
Poland-24 has published a separate report on the suspect’s death and its implications for the investigation.
For families who have lost loved ones and those facing difficult recoveries, the financial campaigns offer practical assistance at a time of considerable uncertainty.
For the two officers whose actions helped end the shooting, the scale of the response has also demonstrated the depth of public appreciation.
Within days of the attack, thousands of people across Poland had turned that appreciation into millions of złotys in donations, while separate campaigns continued collecting support for other victims.
