In Bolesławiec, Lower Silesia, a tragic incident occurred on the evening of Wednesday, July 3, when one of the officers was shot during a routine police intervention. The police responded to a report from a mother whose son had barricaded himself in an apartment and was causing a disturbance. After arriving at the scene, one of the officers was shot in the head through a closed door. The attacker took his own life before backup arrived. The shot police officer, in serious but stable condition, was transported by helicopter to the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław. His injuries affected the facial skeleton and arm, but his brain was not damaged. Detailed examinations and procedures aimed at clarifying the circumstances of this dramatic incident are under way.
We have unofficially established that the injured police officer was approximately 40 years old. His family has been provided with police support. Psychological support was also given to the perpetrator’s mother.
What injuries did the police officer shot in Bolesławiec sustain?
– A patient arrived at our hospital; it turned out that he was a police officer who had been shot after a police intervention. His condition was moderate, but appeared serious to us, so we immediately began treating him. We performed imaging diagnostics and stabilized his condition. He required further treatment at a higher-reference facility, which is why he was transferred to the University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław. The injuries mainly affected the facial skeleton. There was a wound in the area of the right eye socket, penetrating deep into the facial skeleton, and two gunshot wounds to the arm. It was probably a shotgun, because there were many wounds. He was sedated and intubated for safety during transport. Imaging examinations ruled out brain damage; the injuries were mainly within the facial skeleton – said Łukasz Bilaszewski, head of the Emergency Department in Bolesławiec.
How did the dramatic incident unfold?
– After 7 p.m., Bolesławiec police officers intervened at one of the apartments on the housing estate where we are currently located. This was a standard intervention, of the kind we undertake thousands of times across Lower Silesia. The officers received a report from the mother that her son was causing a disturbance and had barricaded himself in one of the rooms. The officers immediately arrived at the scene, and when they entered the apartment, a shot was fired through the door of the locked room toward the officers. One officer was shot in the head; the second officer moved away and called for support. At that moment, a second shot was fired inside the room. The room remained locked. As it later turned out, the man had shot himself and taken his own life. Police technicians, forensic laboratory staff and a prosecutor are currently working at the scene to reconstruct the course of events in detail and clarify the circumstances. This is standard procedure in cases of this kind – explains Łukasz Dutkowiak, Press Spokesperson for the Provincial Police Commander in Wrocław
– The police officer was transported by the Air Ambulance Service, by helicopter, to one of the hospitals in Wrocław. He is currently receiving medical assistance. His condition is serious but stable. Neither the report, previous experience nor the findings indicated that the person they were intervening with might be dangerous or possess dangerous objects or a firearm. I think that all the actions we carry out and the explanations obtained will allow us to answer, step by step, how this situation unfolded and then draw conclusions from it. However, what I can say at present is that everything indicates that the intervention was carried out in accordance with procedures. At the same time, we must remember that we deal every day with different people in different psychophysical conditions, and such situations can be highly surprising and even unpredictable, as was the case today – adds the press spokesperson for the Provincial Police Commander in Wrocław.
Updated July 4, 2024, 9:50 a.m.
The shot police officer has already undergone surgery. Doctors report that his condition is stable. The officer is in a medically induced coma.
Below, we present a video recorded just after the shooting, when the police officers had not yet entered the room where the 20-year-old was. We previously presented it in the report: Shooting in Bolesławiec. 20-year-old shot a police officer in the head.
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