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A 14-year-old student wounded a school principal and a teacher with a shotgun in Aubagne, France, on Monday. Officials said their injuries were not life-threatening.
According to local officials, the teenager concealed the shotgun in a guitar case, entered Joseph Lakanal Middle School and fired several shots. A member of the school staff disarmed him. The Marseille prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into attempted murder.
The 53-year-old principal was shot in the leg and lower back, while the 37-year-old teacher was wounded in the thigh. Both were taken to hospital. Officials said no students suffered serious injuries, although another person was reportedly lightly wounded.
Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Besson said the teenager went upstairs after shooting the principal and teacher on the ground floor. He fired twice more there: first at the floor in front of another teacher, then into a classroom. The bullet hit the board.
No one in the classroom was injured, but students and the teacher were deeply shaken by the incident. Besson said one of the school supervisors disarmed the teenager before police arrived. Police later arrested him. The motive for the attack has not yet been determined.
Students evacuated from school
Gunfire caused confusion at the school, and students left their classrooms and were evacuated. One student told Reuters that they initially thought the first shot had come from nearby construction work, but the alarm went off after the second shot.
“We panicked and ran,” the student said. Other students told BFMTV that they came face to face with the armed teenager as they tried to flee. One of them said the teenager fired at the ground while students were running.
Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Scquillari said students were taken to safety within seconds. A psychological support team was set up to assist those affected by the incident.
Macron praises quick response by school staff
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for the victims, students and parents, and praised the swift response by school staff.
“I commend the composure and exemplary response of the education community, which helped prevent the worst,” Macron wrote on the social media platform X.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray called the shooting an “unacceptable act” and warned of rising violence in society. He was expected to visit the school with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
The incident came as protests were being held in France over staff shortages and inadequate funding at high schools. Some demonstrations were accompanied by violence. However, police union representative Eddy Sid said there was no apparent link between the protests and the shooting. Local reports said the entrance to Joseph Lakanal school had not been locked.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused the government of losing control over school safety. The attempted murder investigation is ongoing, and the teenager’s motive remains unknown.
