A ninth-grade pupil has been arrested after a headteacher and a teacher were shot at a school in Aubagne, near Marseille in southern France, on Monday morning. Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari said the student was taken into custody straight away following the incident at Lakanal middle school.
French media reported that the suspect is 14 years old. Squillari said no children were hurt, and the two staff members who were wounded were treated for injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
How the shooting unfolded at Lakanal middle school
According to reports, the pupil walked into the school carrying a firearm, and several shots were then heard. A member of staff restrained the student afterwards. The headteacher, 53, was reportedly struck in the leg, while the 37-year-old teacher was hit in the thigh.
In an update on social media, Squillari said that every pupil was quickly confined and kept safe within seconds.
Government response and possible link to school protests
Education Minister Edouard Geffray posted on social media that a principal and a teacher from the national education system were wounded by gunfire that morning, and said a student was believed to be responsible. He is due to visit the scene with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on Monday afternoon.
Broadcaster BFMTV and the newspaper Le Parisien reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation, that the shooting was not thought to be linked to ongoing protests over school conditions.
