A 14-year-old student opened fire with a hunting shotgun at a middle school near Marseille on Monday morning, wounding the principal and a teacher in a rare school shooting in France.

The suspect brought the 12-gauge shotgun concealed inside a guitar case into Joseph Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, about 15 kilometers east of Marseille. He fired multiple shots across two floors of the building, striking the 53-year-old principal in the leg and lower back and hitting a 37-year-old female teacher in the thigh. Both victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were hospitalized.

The student then moved to the second floor, where he fired once toward the floor in front of another teacher and once into an occupied classroom, striking the chalkboard. No additional injuries occurred from those shots, though students and staff were shaken. A staff member overpowered and disarmed the boy in a stairwell before police arrived, and authorities took him into custody.

Marseille prosecutors opened an investigation into attempted murder. The boy's motives remain unknown, and officials said there was no evidence he specifically targeted the staff members who were hit. Police sources indicated the incident was not connected to ongoing student protests over school conditions elsewhere in France. The suspect's father was also detained after authorities found weapons during a search of the family home.

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the composure of school staff for preventing a worse outcome. Gun violence by students in French schools is uncommon, and the attack has renewed attention on school security and youth access to firearms.

The school serves around 700 students, and classes were evacuated amid the panic. Officials said a third person sustained a minor injury during the events.