The Death of the Man Called Hornet
On Sunday morning, an angler returning from the Bóbr River found beneath a bridge the body of a 35-year-old homeless man with an incised wound to his head. The deceased was nicknamed “Hornet.” He lived beneath the bridge, where he had his own locker, chair and a bed with bedding covered in colorful pillowcases.
People in the area where he stayed tell a story about his nickname. Apparently, while once drinking cherry liqueur, he ate a hornet that had flown into it. He was seen around Kazimierza Wielkiego, Bema and Mostowa streets. In summer, he lay on a pile of sand in front of a house under construction. He stared motionless at the sky. He lived beneath the bridge. He had his own sofa, chair, several plates and even slippers there. He wrote “finish” on the wall of the bridge span.
People describe him as intelligent and kind. He solved crossword puzzles and read books. He was an only child. His parents divorced. His father left Bolesławiec.
Hornet apparently had an apartment of some kind, but he was unable to pay for it. He did not work anywhere. Sometimes he asked someone for a small amount of money. He sold scrap metal or cans—just enough for liqueur, bread and something to go with it.
On Saturday, before his death, he bought bread rolls at a shop on Mostowa Street and some ready-made food in a tin, then returned for liqueur. The saleswomen, familiar with local customers similar to Hornet, say he was calm and friendly.
One resident recalls him asking for five zlotys.
– He said, “I haven’t borrowed from you yet, give me about five zlotys.” I gave them to him, the man says. – His remark disarmed me: he hadn’t borrowed from me yet, so I should give him some.
A woman from Kazimierza Wielkiego remembers him once walking across the bridge and shouting indignantly:
– I don’t talk to lunatics.
She thought for a moment, then added:
– At the time, I thought that one lunatic had taken offense at the others. Here by the Bóbr, there are people like that who stand around all day and drink. And now this is my only memory of that homeless man.
A young man from the same street adds:
– I remember him. But he was a wreck of a man. Emaciated and malnourished. His face was bluish. He wore black clothes and combat boots. Sometimes I saw him at the gravel pit; he came there with friends, and they drank and swam in summer.
The man who found him was returning from fishing. He saw him lying motionless on the ground. He noticed the wound on his head and notified the police.
Nothing was moved at the scene, Hornet’s home. The bloodstained bedding and all his belongings remained. Friends lit a votive candle there. Apparently, last year Hornet hung fabric curtains between the pillars to protect himself from the wind. Today, the place is empty. Some people did not even know where the man called Hornet lived.
The Official Police Version
The incident occurred on Sunday, November 8. At around 4:50 a.m., police received a report about the body of a man lying beneath a bridge on Mostowa Street. The body was found by the deceased man’s friend.
The 35-year-old had an incised wound to his head. He was homeless. Police are determining the causes of the tragedy. Investigators initially rule out the involvement of third parties. An autopsy of the man will be conducted on November 9.
(information from KPP Bolesławiec/ii)