A 41‑year‑old man wielding an axe and hammer was shot dead by police in Lubin, Poland, on Oct. 6, and prosecutors have opened an inquiry.
October 6: Calls From a Shaken Villager
Police in Lubin (Lower Silesian Voivodeship) received a report before midnight on Oct. 6 of an emotionally upset man moving through the streets with an axe and hammer.
Later, another call identified a 41‑year‑old man said to be roaming the Przylesie estate with the same weapons. Officers found him on Wyszyński Street and attempted to detain him, then called for medical responders.
Prosecutor Launches Investigation
Prosecutor Liliana Łukasiewicz, spokesperson for the Legnica District Prosecutor’s Office quoted by TVN24, said the investigation seeks to determine whether officers exceeded authority causing the man’s accidental death.
Lubin Police added that control teams from the Wrocław KWP and the Main Police Headquarters will also review the incident. An autopsy is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Police Statement on the Incident
According to a police communique, the 41‑year‑old was aggressive toward officers, shouting loudly and refusing to calm down despite repeated orders.
When officers tried to subdue him, he bit one of them. A subsequent patrol used “direct coercive means – physical force and handcuffs.” Due to his heightened state, possible drug influence, a medical ambulance was dispatched.
At that time the victim was conscious but lost consciousness after receiving sedatives and died. The incident was immediately reported to the Lubin control cell, Lower Silesian Provincial Headquarters, Main Police Headquarters, and the supervising prosecutor.
Emergency Medical Response
On Oct. 7 at 05:14 a Lubin Medical Rescue Team intervened. The patient was conscious at arrival.
During the intervention, the patient suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Resuscitation was performed but life‑support could not be restored.
