14-Year-Old Student Shoots Principal and Teacher at Aubagne Middle School in France

A 14-year-old student opened fire at Joseph-Lakanal middle school in Aubagne on Monday morning. He entered the school shortly after 9 a.m. with a 12-gauge hunting shotgun concealed inside a guitar case. He fired on the first floor, wounding the principal and a teacher. He then moved to the second floor and fired twice more, once toward the floor in front of a teacher and once into an occupied classroom, striking the chalkboard.

The principal, age 53, was hit in the hip and lower back. The 37-year-old teacher sustained injuries to the thigh. A third person was grazed. All three received hospital treatment. Their injuries are not life-threatening. No children were harmed. A staff member restrained the student before police arrived. The Marseille prosecutor's office opened an investigation for attempted murder.

Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari confirmed the injuries and the absence of harm to students. The school sits about 11 miles east of Marseille and enrolls roughly 625 pupils. Parents gathered outside after receiving calls from their children. One mother said her daughter phoned and said there was a killer in the school. Police escorted students out of the building one by one.

Prosecutor Nicolas Bessone stated that the student fired once or twice in the common areas of the first floor. The prefect of the department said the suspect is not known for prior delinquency or radicalization. The father of the student was placed in custody. The school will remain closed on Tuesday. Students may return on Wednesday for discussion sessions.

French authorities treat school shootings as rare. The last comparable incidents involved different weapons and settings. The use of a hunting shotgun hidden in a guitar case allowed the student to pass into the building. Staff intervention stopped further shots. The occupied classroom on the second floor escaped injury when the round hit the chalkboard.

The investigation will examine how the student obtained the firearm and ammunition. Several cartridges were recovered. Prosecutors have not released a motive. The student remains in custody. French law treats minors differently in criminal proceedings, but the charge of attempted murder applies.

Local officials described the response as rapid. Emergency services transported the wounded to hospitals in Aubagne and Marseille. The building was secured. Parents waited outside while officers accounted for every student. The sequence from entry to restraint lasted minutes.

The incident adds to ongoing debates in France about school security and access to firearms. Hunting weapons are regulated but remain available under certain conditions. The guitar-case concealment raises questions about entry screening at the school. Those practical details will form part of the official review.

As of Monday evening, the two main victims remained under medical care with stable conditions. The third person had minor injuries. The school community will reconvene later in the week. The prosecutor's investigation continues. The verified facts establish the timeline, the weapon, the injuries and the immediate response by staff and police.

The absence of student casualties distinguishes this event from higher-casualty school attacks elsewhere. The staff member's action in restraining the shooter limited the number of rounds fired inside the occupied classroom. Those elements appear in the statements released by the Marseille prosecutor and local officials on Monday.