14-year-old brings shotgun to French school in guitar case, shoots principal and teacher before staff member stops him
A guitar case concealed a shotgun, but one staff member stopped the attack.
A 14-year-old boy allegedly brought a shotgun to his French middle school concealed inside a guitar case before opening fire, wounding the principal and a teacher. The attack ended when a staff member intercepted the teenager and disarmed him.
The shooting happened on October 12 at Joseph Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille. According to The Associated Press, the student fired multiple shots across two floors before police detained him. Both injured educators were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
While the suspect’s motive remains unknown, prosecutors praised the staff member whose intervention brought the shooting to an end. The employee stepped in after the teenager had already fired into a classroom where students were present.
School employee disarms teenager after shots fired on two floors
Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone said the teenager brought a 12-gauge shotgun into the school inside a guitar case. He allegedly fired once or twice on the first floor, striking the principal and a teacher in their legs with shotgun pellets.
The gunfire continued on the second floor, where the student reportedly fired two more shots. One struck the floor in front of a teacher, while the other hit a classroom board. No one in the classroom was hit, but prosecutors said the students and teachers were deeply shaken.
The shooting through the school ended when an employee intercepted him in a stairwell and managed to disarm him. Marseille deputy prosecutor Audrey Jouaneton praised the staff member’s “extreme courage,” while police took the suspect into custody. Not everyone is brave enough to stop an active shooter, but fortunately for this French school, someone took a chance.
Investigators haven’t established a motive yet
Authorities have not determined why the student opened fire or whether the principal and teacher were specifically targeted. Jouaneton cautioned that prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to conclude that either injured educator had been an intended victim.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the school’s response on X, crediting staff members for preventing an even worse outcome. Mental health counseling was also offered to students affected by the incident.
The shooting occurred amid student protests across France over school resources. However, authorities said there was no immediate evidence connecting the attack to those demonstrations. Police also confirmed that Joseph Lakanal middle school had not been affected by the protests that day.
Under Article R312-52 of the French Internal Security Code, minors over 12 can legally possess certain Category C firearms, but only with parental authorization and a valid license from an approved shooting sports federation. As for how the teenager in Aubagne got his hands on the weapon remains unanswered as of writing.
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