Polish Military Prosecutor Shoots Self at Conference

Col Mikolaj Przybyl speaks at a press conference before shooting himself. (Courtesy of BBC)

A military prosecutor in Poland shot himself after briefing media at a news conference on Monday, Polish media is reporting.

Col. Mikolaj Przybyl was defending the military’s actions on placing wiretaps on reporters investigating the 2010 plane crash in Russia that left ex-President Lech Kaczynski and more than 90 others dead, according to the Warsaw Voice. Speaking in the town of Poznan, he also objected to a proposal of putting the military’s prosecution under civilian authority.

After addressing the press, giving what was described as an emotional statement defending members of his office over wiretapping, Col. Przybyl said he needed to take a break, according to the newspaper. Afterward, a gunshot was heard.

Przybyl was found lying in a pool of blood and was severely injured, but still alive. He had apparently shot himself in the head. The director of the Poznan hospital said he is currently in stable condition and will likely survive his injuries.

“We heard a loud thud and we went back into the room thinking one of the cameras had fallen over. Then we saw the prosecutor motionless on the ground in a pool of blood, his military gun beside him,” a reporter on the scene said, according to the BBC.