A gunman drove a car into Kraków's historic Main Market Square and opened fire on pedestrians Saturday afternoon, killing six people and wounding at least 15 others in what Polish officials are calling one of the country's deadliest mass shootings in modern memory.

The attack unfolded around 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. ET) when a black Subaru entered the square from Sławkowska Street and the driver began shooting into the crowd, according to an Associated Press report carried by NPR. Gunfire echoed across the square — one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe and a draw for roughly 15 million visitors a year — for more than a minute before the car sped off.

Four women and two men were killed, and officials said one victim was a foreign national. At least 15 others were wounded, including two police officers — one critically — and several foreign tourists, five of whom were hospitalized, according to Al Jazeera's reporting. A passing tram's window was shattered by gunfire; no one aboard was hurt.

Shootout ends the rampage

Police pursued the car roughly a kilometer south of the square before the gunman exchanged fire with officers. One wounded officer returned fire and incapacitated him; he was taken into custody and hospitalized under guard. Investigators say he acted alone and is not believed to pose any further threat to the public.

He has been identified only as Michał O., 25, a Polish citizen born in the town of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, according to CBC News. He was wearing military-style tactical gear and used an AR-15-style rifle; investigators recovered additional weapons from his car.

EVERYTHING INDICATES THE SUSPECT WAS INSPIRED BY FAR-RIGHT IDEOLOGIES

— Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński, on the gunman's possible motive

No formal terrorism designation has been announced, and police say the investigation into his background and motive is ongoing.

A rare scale of violence

Deadly shootings are extremely rare in Poland, which has some of the European Union's strictest gun laws. Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised the police response as "heroic" and said he was being kept updated by the interior minister, while President Karol Nawrocki said his thoughts were with the victims and their families. Kraków Mayor Łukasz Gibała declared a period of mourning through Wednesday.

The attack also drew swift condolences from abroad. U.S. Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose called it a "savage and murderous attack," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said "Poland does not stand alone," and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned what he called "a shocking crime."

Poland had already been on edge after a string of stabbings last month that Tusk described as reflecting a "cult of violence" among young people. Neighboring Wrocław tightened security in response to Saturday's attack.

The investigation continues, and authorities caution that casualty figures could still be revised as the inquiry proceeds.