French police detained a 14-year-old student suspected of shooting his middle school principal and a teacher in Aubagne. A staff member disarmed the suspect, who had hidden a shotgun in a guitar case.
French police have detained a 14-year-old student suspected of opening fire at Joseph Lakanal Middle School in Aubagne, southern France, on Monday, October 12, 2026. The suspect wounded the school’s principal and a teacher with a hunting shotgun he had concealed in a guitar case, according to local officials and prosecutors.
The shooting occurred at the middle school located about 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of Marseille. Marseille Public Prosecutor Nicolas Bessone stated that the student fired once or twice on the first floor, injuring the principal and the teacher in the legs. The victims were hit with pellets used in 12-gauge shotguns and were transported to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.
According to Bessone, the boy then moved to the second floor and opened fire twice more. The first shot hit the floor in front of a teacher, and the second struck a teaching board in a classroom. No teachers or pupils in that classroom were hit, though Bessone noted they were “very shocked.”
A staff member intercepted the suspect in a stairwell and disarmed him before police arrived. Marseille deputy prosecutor Audrey Jouaneton praised the staff member’s actions as showing “extreme courage.” Police subsequently took the boy into custody.
Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari told reporters that all students were immediately confined and made safe within seconds. He confirmed that no pupils were injured and that mental health counseling was being offered to students. The Marseille public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for “attempted murder,” and the suspect’s motive remains unknown.
French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X praising the school staff’s “composure and exemplary response,” stating that they “prevented an even worse outcome.” Education Minister Édouard Geffray also commented on X, writing, “This unacceptable act once again highlights the rise of unbridled violence in our society, against which we must all mobilize. In words as well as deeds.”
Marine Le Pen stated that schools, which should be “sanctuaries,” had become places where people risk their lives, warning that “Insecurity has entered schools.”
Gun violence perpetrated by pupils in schools is rare in France. Sources cite a 2017 incident in which a 16-year-old student armed with a rifle, pistols, and a small grenade opened fire at a high school in southern France, wounding three students and the principal.
Stabbings by pupils in schools are also uncommon. In 2025, a middle school employee in eastern France was stabbed to death by a 14-year-old student during a bag check. Also in 2025, a 15-year-old student stabbed four other students at a high school in western France, killing one and wounding three others before being arrested.
There was no immediate information to suggest that the shooting was connected to protests by high school pupils demanding better-resourced schools that have been occurring in France for several weeks. Police stated that the middle school was not impacted by the protests on Monday.
The incident highlights the rarity of gun violence in French schools while drawing attention to broader concerns about school safety and societal violence. The swift action by school staff prevented further casualties, prompting high-level government responses and an ongoing investigation into the suspect's motives.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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