"Such cheerful people. Not like him." Neighbors told about the family of the Krakow attacker
The mother worked as a cashier at "Biedronka", the sister studied to be an artist, and the father and son went to the shooting range on Sundays. Neighbors of Michał O.'s family, who opened fire in the center of Krakow, spoke about him and his relatives.
Michał O. Photo from Facebook
Renata and Janusz O. lived with their son Michał in an apartment on the top floor of a low-rise apartment building in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. Their daughter lived in Krakow. According to neighbors, on the day of the tragedy, she had just come to visit her parents, Fakt writes.
Zdzisław Szostak, who lived in the adjacent apartment, was friends with the attacker's parents.
"I was friends with his parents. We lived door to door. We celebrated New Year together. Such cheerful people. Not like him," he told journalists.
Attacker's parents. Screenshot from a local television report, taken by Fakt
Szostak says it's hard for him to understand what happened: he remembered Michał's parents as ordinary, very open people.
The mother worked as a cashier in the nearby "Biedronka" store. Neighbors remember her as always smiling and friendly.
According to Echa Dnia interlocutors, she was seen as recently as Friday — she looked calm and smiled.
The attacker's sister studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Neighbors said the girl was very talented: two years ago, an exhibition of her works was held in Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski.
Michał himself, according to Newsweek, studied to be a lathe operator at the local Center for Vocational Education.
Fakt's sources emphasize that the son behaved differently from his parents.
"He's a bit strange. He never spoke. If he remembered, rarely, he would say hello. Otherwise — a hood pulled over his head. I never saw him in camouflage," Szostak said.
Another neighbor added: "The son was the only one who didn't smile, he was so distant, sad. He dressed in black."
At the same time, residents of the building say they never heard quarrels or noise from the family's apartment. They also didn't hear anything suspicious when, according to the publication, three people died in the adjacent apartment.
"Absolutely nothing that could worry us," said one of the neighbors.
Szostak knew that the family kept many weapons at home. This didn't frighten him: the father and son were keen on shooting.
"Well, they had such a hobby. Both went to the nearby shooting range every Sunday morning. It didn't seem dangerous to me," he said.
Michał's 52‑year‑old father had a gun license. The black Subaru, in which the attacker arrived in the center of Krakow, was also registered to the father.
On Saturday, neighbor Szostak did not see Michał. He last met him the day before: the young man, according to the neighbor, was silent, as usual.
However, not all neighbors describe him as strange. Some residents of the building call him polite and calm.
"An ordinary guy. He walked around in a hood, greeted people. I can't say anything bad about him," one of them noted.
On November 7, a 24‑year‑old man opened fire on passersby in the center of Krakow. Six people died, and 16 were reported injured, including two police officers and the attacker himself.
After the shooting in Krakow, police found the bodies of a man and two women in the attacker's apartment — according to preliminary data, his parents and sister.
Michał himself was wounded during apprehension and taken to the hospital.