Man shoots self at Paris primary school

A middle-aged man has shot himself to death in front of a group of children at a primary school in the French capital, Paris.

The top educational official of Paris, Francois Weil, said the incident happened on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. local time (0930 GMT) at La Rochefoucauld School after the man forced his way into the school with a sawn-off shotgun.

The 50-year-old man, who is said to have a history of family problems, put the shotgun under his chin and pulled the trigger in front of about a dozen children aged six and seven. The children were descending a staircase for their lunch break.

According to police sources, the man had apparently suffered from depression after separating from his wife in 2009. He lived near the school.

Following the appalling incident, a psychological support team was sent to the school to provide the traumatized children with support.

“I heard a shot. I saw all the blood. I saw the man. I saw the man fall back when he shot himself. It was horrible,” said a schoolgirl.

Another boy who witnessed the suicide said, “I thought there were terrorists who had guns and were coming into the school. Then I saw the man on the ground with a lot of blood.”

Authorities have not released further information about the man’s identity or motives.

French Education Minister Vincent Peillon, who was in Brussels at the time of shooting, cut short his visit and went to the school on Thursday afternoon.

“It is a very painful matter because it has happened at a school, but the security inside the school isn’t to blame,” the French minister told reporters.

La Rochefoucauld School is located on rue Cler, in Paris’s 7th district, which is home to several embassies, and close to the Eiffel Tower.