14-year-old shoots and wounds two teachers at French middle school

Summarised from 2 outlets · 3 reports · Updated 12 Oct, 16:02 · Archive

A 14-year-old student shot and wounded a head teacher and a staff member at a middle school near Marseille with a hunting rifle hidden in a guitar case.

A 14-year-old pupil at Joseph Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille, opened fire on Monday, shooting and wounding the head teacher and a female staff member. The teenager brought the hunting rifle concealed in a guitar case and fired multiple times on two floors of the building. Both victims were hit in the legs and hospitalised, but neither suffered life-threatening injuries, according to Aubagne mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari. A school supervisor disarmed the student before police arrived and took him into custody.

One student described the panic that ensued. She said her maths teacher initially mistook the first gunshot for noise from nearby construction work. When a second blast followed, an alarm sounded and classes emptied into the corridors. "We were panicking, we ran," she told Reuters. No pupils were injured during the shooting. The mayor said mental health counselling was being offered to students.

There was no indication the shooting was connected to ongoing protests by high school pupils across France demanding better-resourced schools, which have involved violent incidents in recent weeks. Education Minister Édouard Geffray called the shooting "an unacceptable act" that highlighted rising violence in society. School shootings by pupils are rare in France.

How it is being reported

• Student shoots and wounds teachers with rifle in FranceA 14-year-old student who reportedly brought a rifle hidden in a guitar case to school has injured a head teacher and a female staff member.The West Australian · 12 Oct, 15:46
• Student shoots and wounds teachers with rifle in FranceA 14-year-old student who reportedly brought a rifle hidden in a guitar case to school has injured a head teacher and a female staff member.Perth Now · 12 Oct, 15:46
• France school shooting: Student, 14, arrested after two teachers wounded by shotgun blastsLocal police detained a 14-year-old student after a middle school principal and a teacher were both shot with a hunting rifle.Perth Now · 12 Oct, 11:23

In this story: Joseph Lakanal middle school · Aubagne · Marseille · France · Jean-Pierre Squillari · Édouard Geffray

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem