Gunman on Motorcycle Kills four in Shooting at a Jewish School in Toulouse, France

A gunman riding a motorcycle opened fire Monday morning as students and parents entered a Jewish school in Toulouse, France killing three students and a teacher. Another student was wounded in the deadly attack.

French authorities are searching for the gunman who reportedly chased students into the school while firing two different guns. Authorities are investigating to see if the attack has any connection with two separate shootings of French soldiers that occurred in the region last week according to the BBC. Though the attack has not been determined to be an act of school terrorism at this time, the incident bore similarities to past school terrorism events around the globe.

A teacher, a three year old, a six year old and an older student who was the child of a teacher at the school were killed in the attack that left students, staff, parents and the Jewish community stunned. School violence in general has become more problematic in French schools in recent years with a number of reported instances of students and staff who wear either a crucifix or a Star of David being attacked by Muslim students. However, this deadly attack was far more violent than these more common acts of violence, which have generally been carried out by students.

As in the U.K. and many other parts of Europe, French schools have been experiencing more acts of overall violence than has traditionally been the case making school safety a much larger concern.

About Michael Dorn

Michael Dorn serves as the Executive Director of Safe Havens International, a non-profit school safety center. The author of 27 books on school safety, Michael’s campus safety work has taken him to 11 countries over the past 34 years.