Teenager Arrested After Shooting Two Teachers at French School

A 14-year-old student was arrested after a shooting at Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, southern France, on Monday, October 12, 2026, after the teenager entered the school with a shotgun and wounded the principal and a teacher before being restrained by staff.

Regional officials told French media that the student carried the weapon inside a guitar case and opened fire. Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari said no students were harmed and the two injured staff members suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

According to local officials, the 53-year-old principal was injured in the leg and lower back, while the 37-year-old teacher was hit in the thigh. A third person also suffered minor injuries.

Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari said students were secured immediately after the shooting and psychological support was established at the school.

"All students were immediately confined and made safe within seconds," said Jean-Pierre Squillari, Aubagne Mayor.

The mayor said the shooting occurred in a hallway and that many students were affected psychologically, although they did not directly witness much of the incident.

"The kids saw practically nothing since it happened in the hallway, but psychologically, quite a few were affected, and those in a distressed state are being examined by the psychologist," said Jean-Pierre Squillari, Aubagne Mayor.

Squillari said the suspect was a student at the school and that the student's father had previously requested a meeting with an educational adviser.

"Just like any other," said Jean-Pierre Squillari, Aubagne Mayor, describing the suspect as a child.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said he would visit the scene with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. The ministry said the incident involved two members of the National Education system.

"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," wrote Édouard Geffray, Education Minister.

The minister identified the student as the suspected perpetrator in a statement about the attack.

"A student is said to be the perpetrator," wrote Édouard Geffray, Education Minister.

Geffray condemned the incident and linked it to concerns about violence in society in his statement.

"This unacceptable act is yet further evidence of the rise of unchecked violence in our society, against which we must all take a stand," wrote Édouard Geffray, Education Minister.

Local media reported that investigators did not believe the shooting was connected to ongoing protests over school conditions. Ministers Édouard Geffray and Laurent Nuñez were scheduled to visit the site later on Monday.