Four Shots Fired in Guitar Case Attack at Aubagne School
A 14-year-old student shot and wounded a school principal and a teacher inside a middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille, on Monday, October 12, 2026, according to regional reporting by NOS and frankrijkactueel.nl. The suspect carried a 12-gauge hunting rifle hidden inside a guitar case into the building before opening fire in a hallway, striking the 53-year-old principal in the hip and a 37-year-old female teacher in the thigh.
French authorities stated that the injuries sustained by both victims are not life-threatening. Police and local officials confirmed that the suspect was quickly subdued by a staff member on a staircase before being taken into custody by the criminal squad of the DCOS, which is investigating the incident as an attempted assassination.
How the Shooting Unfolded at Collège Joseph Lakanal
The incident began just after 9:00 a.m. at Joseph Lakanal College, located on Avenue Maximilien-Robespierre in Aubagne, nl24.nu reported. After entering with the weapon concealed in a guitar case, the 14-year-old suspect walked up to the first floor and fired one or two shots in the common areas, striking the principal and the teacher.
According to the official police reconstruction detailed by frankrijkactueel.nl, the shooter then moved to the second floor. There, the teenager discharged the firearm twice more: first into the floor directly in front of another teacher, and then into a classroom where students and an instructor were gathered, embedding a bullet in the blackboard.
Although no one was physically injured on the second floor, students and staff suffered severe shock. Staff members immediately moved students to safety as the first shots echoed through the corridors. A school employee intercepted the gunman on the stairs as he attempted to descend.
Police officers on the scene formally arrested the teenager and placed him in police custody custody. The prosecutor’s office immediately activated the local victim support organization, AVAD (Victim assistance association), to provide psychological assistance to traumatized students, teachers, and staff members.
Weapons Seized and Father Arrested in Investigation
Later on Monday afternoon, investigators arrested the suspect’s father and placed him in police custody as part of an inquiry into illegal weapons possession, frankrijkactueel.nl reported. A subsequent search of the family’s home uncovered multiple firearms. French media outlets indicated that the father is a sports shooter, a detail that forms a central focus for investigators examining how the 14-year-old accessed the hunting rifle.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez and Education Minister Édorard Geffray traveled directly to Aubagne following the incident to coordinate the official response and announce temporarily heightened security measures across regional schools. Authorities also addressed broader context, noting that the shooting occurred amid widespread nationwide protests by French secondary school students over teacher shortages and heavy workloads. However, police and local officials explicitly confirmed to NOS that there are no indications linking the Aubagne shooting to those ongoing education protests, noting that no demonstrations took place at Joseph Lakanal College that morning.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Aubagne School Shooting
What weapons were recovered during the investigation?
Police recovered a 12-gauge hunting rifle that the 14-year-old suspect used in the attack, which was brought into the building inside a guitar case. During a subsequent search of the suspect’s family home, investigators seized multiple additional firearms, prompting the afternoon arrest of the suspect’s father.
Were any students injured during the incident at collège Joseph Lakanal?
No students sustained physical injuries during the shooting. While a bullet struck a classroom blackboard on the second floor, school employees successfully sheltered pupils, and authorities later reunited children with their families following on-site police interviews and trauma counseling provided by AVAD.
What is the current legal status of the suspect and his family?
The 14-year-old suspect was subdued on a staircase by a school staff member, arrested by police, and placed in custody while the criminal squad investigates the case as an attempted assassination. Additionally, the suspect’s father was placed in police custody on Monday afternoon in connection with the family’s firearm storage.
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