A 14-year-old boy shot and wounded a headmaster and a teacher at a school in Aubagne, near Marseille, on Monday before a member of staff disarmed him, French authorities said.
The teenager opened fire with a hunting gun at Joseph-Lakanal middle school, also grazing a third person. Authorities said the headmaster, 53, and the teacher, 37, were not in critical condition.
Marseille deputy public prosecutor Audrey Jouaneton said the suspect carried the weapon in a guitar case before taking it out and firing at least four shots, including inside a classroom occupied by teachers and pupils. One shot left a mark on the classroom blackboard.
The suspect, whose motive remains unclear, has no known history of delinquency or radicalisation, Bouches-du-Rhône prefect Jacques Witkowski said.
Pupil says gunman targeted teachers
Sarah, a pupil at the school, told Agence France-Presse that she heard the fire alarm during a Spanish lesson and went into the corridor, where she and her classmates encountered the gunman.
“He started shooting and said: ‘I’ve only come for the teachers, not for the pupils,’” she said.
Police said the shooting did not appear to be connected to student protests that have affected French high schools in recent weeks.
Father taken into custody as investigation begins
Prosecutors have opened an investigation into attempted murder. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, who visited the school, said police had taken the suspect’s father into custody as investigators sought to establish how the teenager obtained the gun.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the school staff for their swift response, saying their composure had helped prevent a worse outcome.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray, who also visited the scene, called for a broader response to violence in society, saying schools could not tackle the problem alone.
The shooting comes amid a series of violent incidents at French schools in recent months, prompting some establishments to introduce bag checks at their entrances.
In February, a 14-year-old stabbed an art teacher at least three times in southern France, leaving the 60-year-old in critical condition. In June last year, another 14-year-old fatally stabbed a teaching assistant in eastern France. A separate classroom stabbing spree in April last year left four pupils injured.
(Source: Agence France-Presse)
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