14-Year-Old Pupil Shoots Two Staff at French Middle School in Aubagne

A 14-year-old pupil entered Joseph-Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille, on the morning of 12 October 2026 carrying a hunting shotgun concealed in a guitar case. He fired several times, wounding the 53-year-old principal and a 37-year-old teacher. Both were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A third person sustained a minor graze. No pupils were hurt.

Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the student fired once or twice on the first floor, hitting the principal and teacher in the lower body, then continued to the second floor. There he fired twice more, once toward the floor in front of a teacher and once into an occupied classroom, striking the chalkboard. A member of staff restrained him as he came back down the stairs. Police took him into custody. The Marseille prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for attempted murder.

Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari said the injuries were not life-threatening. The school will remain closed on 13 October. Pupils will be able to return on Wednesday for discussions with staff. Parents waited outside the school as children left. Several described seeing blood in the corridor and hearing the shots.

The prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône said the pupil was not previously known for delinquency or radicalisation. He was a third-year student at the school. The weapon was a 12-gauge hunting shotgun loaded with multiple cartridges of shot. Officials have not released a motive.

French Education Minister Édouard Geffray and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez travelled to the site. The incident is the latest in a series of school attacks in France, though firearms remain tightly controlled. The use of a hunting shotgun rather than a handgun has drawn attention because such weapons are legal for licensed owners but must be stored securely.

The school is located about 17 kilometres east of Marseille. Local police and judicial officers secured the building after the shooting. Students who witnessed the events described panic as they ran for cover. One mother said her daughter called her after seeing a large amount of blood in the hallway.

Prosecutors have not said whether the pupil will be charged as a minor or under adult procedures. In France, 14-year-olds can be held responsible for serious offences, though sentencing options differ from those for adults. The investigation will examine how the pupil obtained the shotgun and ammunition and whether anyone else was involved.

For the moment the two wounded staff members are recovering in hospital. The school community is dealing with the immediate aftermath. Classes are suspended while authorities complete their initial inquiries and while counselling arrangements are put in place for students and staff.

The sequence of events is now established by the prosecutor’s account: entry with a concealed shotgun, shots on the first floor that wounded two adults, further shots on the second floor that struck a chalkboard, and restraint by a staff member before police arrived. What remains open is the pupil’s stated reason, if any, and the precise chain of custody of the weapon.