14-year-old wounds school director and teacher in France

A 14-year-old student wounded a school director and a teacher with a hunting rifle at a school in Aubagne, southern France, SRF reported. The two were injured in the legs and taken to hospital, deputy prosecutor Audrey Jouaneton said. No one else was hurt.

The student had hidden the rifle in a guitar case to bring it into the school. A teacher overpowered him. Prosecutors opened an investigation on suspicion of attempted murder, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said during a visit to the scene.

The motive remains unclear, as does whether the teenager deliberately targeted the director and teacher. Investigators are also examining whether bullying may have played a role. Jouaneton said the student had made no comment about his motive and appeared calm during and after the attack.

After the first shots in a first-floor hall, the teenager went up one floor and fired at the ground in the direction of a teacher. He then entered a classroom and fired towards the blackboard in front of the class. At least four shots were fired, according to the prosecutor.

The shooting was not connected to current school protests in France, authorities said. There had been no protests or blockades at the school. Education Minister Édouard Geffray called for the protection of schools and said the taboo against attacking teachers must be restored. President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with those affected and praised the teachers’ calm response.