Toulon: A 13-year-old middle school student was arrested with a loaded pistol at the entrance to his school.

On Thursday, April 9, in Toulon, the morning took a dramatic turn at the entrance to the Django Reinhardt middle school. A 13-year-old student was arrested as he attempted to enter the school with a loaded handgun, according to Toulon Public Prosecutor Raphaël Balland. The teenager was taken to the police station and placed in custody. A stark and chillingly simple event: a child, a weapon, a school gate.

A weapon in the jacket, a breach in the chain of vigilance

A weapon in a jacket, a breach in the chain of vigilance. According to the prosecutor's office, the middle school student was carrying a small-caliber semi-automatic pistol in his jacket. The exact circumstances of the weapon's discovery were not immediately detailed, but the image is striking: what the school is supposed to keep at a distance was, for a moment, within reach of the hallway. The minor explained to investigators that he had taken the weapon from his father. The father was also taken into custody, the prosecutor specifying that he did not have the necessary authorization to possess a firearm.

At this stage, the prosecutor's office indicates that "there is no evidence to suggest that the student intended to attack school staff." The main focus for investigators remains understanding how the weapon got there, how it became accessible, and what this case ultimately reveals about the blurring of lines between family life and school. The investigation continues, with this underlying perspective: between prevention, supervision, and adult responsibility, the next school morning cannot be exactly like the last.