A 14-year-old student opened fire at Joseph Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille, on Monday morning, wounding the school principal and a teacher before being disarmed by a staff member, authorities said.
The suspect entered the school with a 12-gauge hunting rifle concealed in a guitar case around 10:00 local time. He fired multiple shots on the first floor, striking the 53-year-old principal and a 37-year-old teacher in the legs. A third person sustained a graze wound during the incident.
According to Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Bessone, the student fired once or twice on the first floor before moving to the second floor, where he discharged additional shots. One shot struck a classroom blackboard while teachers and pupils were present. A school staff member overpowered the teenager and disarmed him before police arrived and took him into custody.
Both the principal and teacher were transported to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. No students were harmed. Aubagne Mayor Jean-Pierre Squillari said the school was providing mental health counseling to pupils.
The suspect's motive remained unknown as of Monday afternoon. Authorities said there was no indication the shooting was connected to ongoing high school protests across France over education funding and school conditions. The middle school had not been affected by the protest movement, police said.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez traveled to the school following the incident. Geffray condemned the attack as "inadmissible" and called for mobilization against what he described as growing "unbridled violence" in society.
The Marseille prosecutor's office opened an investigation for attempted murder. Police said the suspect had not been previously known to authorities for criminal activity or radicalization.
Gun violence perpetrated by pupils in schools is rare in France.