Full Breakdown
Shooting at Joseph Lakanal Middle School Leaves Principal and Teacher Wounded
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
On October 12, 2026, a 14-year-old pupil entered Joseph Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille, carrying a 12-gauge hunting shotgun concealed in a guitar case. The student fired at least three times: first at the 53-year-old principal, striking his right hip and lower back; then at a 37-year-old teacher, wounding her thigh; a third shot hit a hallway. A third person was grazed. Both victims were taken to hospital; their injuries were reported as non-life-threatening. Police detained the suspect on the scene and placed him under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder.
Background & Context
The attack occurred amid a three-week wave of student protests across France over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating school facilities. Local authorities repeatedly emphasized that the Aubagne shooting was unrelated to those demonstrations; police confirmed the school had not been affected by any protest-related blockades.
Data & Statistics
- Suspect: 14 years old, ninth-grade student, no known criminal or radicalisation record.
- Weapon: 12-gauge hunting shotgun, hidden in a guitar case.
- Shots fired: three confirmed (principal, teacher, hallway).
- Victims: principal, teacher, one additional person grazed; no students injured.
Official Statements & Responses
Education Minister Édouard Geffray posted on X that a student is suspected of the attack and described it as “an unacceptable act” that underscores the spread of violence in French society.
Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari said the suspect entered with a rifle, was quickly restrained by a staff member, and that “all students were immediately confined and made safe within seconds.”
President Emmanuel Macron praised the staff’s “composure and exemplary response,” offering solidarity with the injured staff, students and parents.
Prefect Jacques Witkowski noted the suspect had no prior history of delinquency or radicalisation and that the investigation would determine how the weapon was obtained.
On-the-Ground Reports
A staff member responsible for extracurricular activities confronted the shooter in a stairwell, disarmed him, and held him until police arrived. Witnesses described hearing an initial shot that was first mistaken for construction noise; a second blast triggered the school alarm and prompted students to evacuate the corridors.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ slightly on the terminology used for the firearm—some describe it as a “hunting rifle,” others as a “shotgun”—but all agree it was a 12-gauge hunting weapon concealed in a guitar case. The motive remains unknown, and investigators have not disclosed how the pupil acquired the gun.
Verbatim Quotes
- “All students were immediately confined and made safe within seconds," Mayor Squillari said in an update on social media.” — Mayor Squillari, aubagne mayor
- “The suspect, for reasons as yet unknown, fired at the headteacher, who was hit by a shower of pellets in the thighs and lower back,” — Jacques Witkowski
- “A student is suspected of being responsible,” — Education Minister Edouard Geffray
- “I commend the composure and exemplary response of the education team, which helped prevent the worst,” — Emmanuel Macron, french president
- “To the principal and the teacher injured this morning in a school in Aubagne, to the students and parents stunned, I send my full solidarity and my total support,” — Emmanuel Macron, french president