Two injured, including headteacher, after pupil opens fire at secondary …

Two staff members from the National Education system, a principal and a teacher, were victims this morning of gunshot wounds at Lakanal middle school in Aubagne. A student is said to be the perpetrator. That statement from Minister of National Education Édouard Geffray captured the immediate shock after a 14-year-old pupil opened fire with a shotgun at the Joseph-Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille in southern France. The attack left two school staff members injured, including the headteacher, and triggered an emergency response as the country grapples with widespread unrest over educational conditions.

The shooting unfolded on Monday morning when the 14-year-old student entered the school premises armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, described in some reports as a hunting rifle. According to details from Le Parisien and Le Figaro cited across multiple reports, the teenager first entered his classroom, where he opened fire on one of his teachers. He missed, hitting a blackboard instead. He then allegedly targeted the principal, a man in his 50s, shooting him outside the school. About four or five shots are said to have been fired in total during the incident. A 37-year-old teacher was also wounded by a ricochet. Both the principal and the teacher were wounded in the lower body, with the headteacher shot in the leg and the teacher's thigh hit. Paramedics treated them at the scene, and authorities confirmed their lives are not in danger.

Immediate Containment and Arrest of the Suspect

Swift action by school staff and law enforcement prevented further casualties during the morning attack. According to a police source cited by Le Parisien, the teenager was initially restrained by school staff before being arrested by the police. Mayor of Aubagne Jean-Pierre Squillari stated on Facebook that the pupil was a third-year student who was immediately neutralised and taken into custody by the law enforcement authorities. Mayor Squillari added that all students are safe and sound and that no child was injured. Teachers took students into a room away from the shooter as the violence broke out. Thanks to the calmness and remarkable reflexes of the teachers and the entire educational team, all students were immediately confined and placed in safety from the very first second, Mayor Squillari said. The mayor also noted that the psychological impact of the incident had been immense for the teenagers, prompting the activation of an emergency medical-psychological cell. The Bouches-du-Rhône police headquarters confirmed the area is under the full control of the authorities and that there is no longer any danger on site.

Broader Unrest Across France

The attack occurred against a backdrop of severe nationwide tension, though sources emphasized that Monday's shooting had no connection to the high school movements, as this college is not affected by the blockades. More than 70,000 demonstrators have so far taken to the streets across France last week, protesting against delipidated classrooms and a shortage of teachers. More than 500 people have so far been arrested, with dozens of police officers injured during the protests. The unrest has seen protests grow over the last fortnight with at least 260,000 people taking part in multiple cities including Paris, Marseille, Nantes and Lyon, while half of France's 3,700 high schools were shut or partially closed.

Official Responses and Ministerial Visits

Government leaders moved quickly to address the situation on Monday. Minister Édouard Geffray announced he would be attending the scene of the incident along with interior minister Laurent Nunez and Sabrina Roubache. Geffray wrote in a post on X that this unacceptable act bears witness once again to the spread of unbridled violence in our society, against which we must all mobilize. In words as in deeds. French President Emmanuel Macron also said on Monday that he condemned those incidents of violence.

Le Parisien also reports that the 14-year-old said he was being harassed by the school. As the investigation continues, authorities are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack at the Joseph-Lakanal middle school.