14-Year-Old Arrested After Two Staff Shot at Middle School in Southern France

A 14-year-old pupil was arrested on Monday after a principal and a teacher were shot at Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, a small city near Marseille in southern France. No students were injured, and the staff members' injuries are not life-threatening, according to Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari.

The Marseille prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for attempted murder, the BBC reported. The boy's motive has not been established.

What happened at Lakanal middle school

The BBC reported, citing regional officials speaking to French media, that the boy entered the school with a shotgun inside a guitar case and opened fire before a member of staff restrained him. Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the pupil hit the principal and the teacher on the first floor. He then went to the second floor and fired twice, the prosecutor said: once toward the floor in front of a teacher, and once inside an occupied classroom, where the shot struck the chalkboard. According to Bessone, neither that teacher nor the students were hurt, though they were badly shaken.

City hall said the boy was restrained in a school corridor and taken into police custody. Details of the weapon differ slightly between accounts. The Independent, citing Le Parisien and police sources, said the pupil used a 12-gauge shotgun, described as a hunting rifle.

The injuries and how the school responded

The BBC reported that the 53-year-old head teacher was shot in the leg and lower back, and that the 37-year-old teacher was hit in the thigh. It added that a third person was said to have sustained minor injuries. The Independent described both staff members as wounded in the lower body with minor injuries.

Squillari said teachers moved students away from the shooter and into a secure room. In his words, the staff's calm and reflexes meant students were protected "from the very first second." Macron praised the team's composure and said its response helped avoid the worst.

Two pupils told BFMTV that a fire alarm sounded and that, as they headed for the stairs, they came face to face with the suspect. One said he fired at the ground and followed them briefly as they ran away screaming.

What officials have said about the suspect

Squillari described the boy as a child "just like any other." He told BFMTV that the boy's father had asked for a meeting with the school's educational adviser, but that officials know nothing more about it. Reports differ on the boy's grade: the Independent quoted the mayor as saying he was a third-year student, while the BBC said ninth grade.

The mayor said a medical-psychological support unit had been set up on site. He said many students were affected psychologically, and that those in distress were being seen by a psychologist.

Why it matters: a school shooting during a tense week in French education

School shootings of this kind are uncommon in France, and the attack has drawn a response from the top of government. Education Minister Edouard Geffray called it an unacceptable act that showed once again the spread of unchecked violence in society. He said everyone must mobilize against it.

The shooting came as students across France have been protesting over school conditions. The Independent reported that at least 260,000 people have taken part in multiple cities over the past fortnight, and that half of the country's 3,700 high schools were shut or partly closed. Le Parisien and local media, citing sources familiar with the investigation, said the shooting is not thought to be linked to those protests. Police told the Associated Press that the school was not affected by the protests on Monday.

For parents and pupils in Aubagne, the immediate effect is the aftermath of an armed attack at a school. Officials said the area was under full control of the authorities and that there was no longer any danger at the site.

What happens next

Geffray said he was traveling to the scene with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. The attempted murder investigation continues, and officials have not said what drove the boy to carry out the attack or what the father's requested meeting was about.

Sources: The Independent, BBC News