14-Year-Old Student Shoots Two Staff Members at Aubagne Middle School

A 14-year-old student opened fire at Joseph Lakanal middle school in Aubagne on Monday morning, wounding the principal and a teacher. The pupil carried a 12-gauge hunting shotgun inside a guitar case. He entered the school shortly after 9 a.m. and fired on the first floor, hitting the 53-year-old principal in the legs and lower back and a 37-year-old teacher in the thigh. A third person was grazed. Neither of the main victims is in critical condition.

Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the student then went 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. No students were hit. A staff member restrained the pupil before police arrived. The school is in Bouches-du-Rhône, about 11 miles east of Marseille. The student is in ninth grade and was not previously known for delinquency or radicalisation, according to the prefect.

The Marseille prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for attempted murder. The pupil was placed in custody. The school will not reopen on Tuesday. Parents described scenes of panic and blood in the corridors. Education Minister Édouard Geffray and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez visited the site. Local officials said the injuries were caused by buckshot typical of hunting ammunition.

French schools have seen occasional violence, but incidents involving firearms inside buildings remain rare. The shotgun was brought in through the main entrance. Staff and students were evacuated after the shooting. Investigators are examining how the weapon was obtained and what prompted the attack. The principal and teacher were treated at hospitals in Aubagne and Marseille. Their conditions are stable.

The case has prompted renewed discussion in France about school security and access to hunting weapons. No motive has been publicly stated. The investigation continues under the Marseille prosecutor.