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It has been suggested that this article be merged into 2012 Midi-Pyrénées shootings. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2012.

The 2012 Ozar Hatorah Toulouse shooting occurred on 19 March 2012 at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish day school in Toulouse, France. At least four people were killed, including three children, when a moped-riding gunman attacked the school.

Authorities are investigating links to other shootings in the region. Following the shooting, the French government raised France's terror alert to its highest possible level.

Background

The shooting occured a week after two other shooting attacks in the area, against uniformed paratroopers, in Toulouse and Montauban. Four paratroopers were killed, two of them Muslim, and all of them either North African or Caribbean in origin.

The Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse is part of a national chain of at least twenty Jewish schools throughout France, educating children of primarily Sephardic, Middle Eastern and North African descent.

The school is a middle and secondary school, with most children in the age range of 11 to 17 years. However, it is also a transportation hub for other schools. Many parents bring their younger children to Ozar Hatorah, and place them on shuttle buses that travel to the other schools in the area. The morning shuttle period is approximately 8:30.

Sequence of events

At about 8:00 AM, a man drove up to the Ozar Hatorah school on a dark scooter or moped, possibly a Yamaha TMAX. He dismounted, and immediately opened fire toward the schoolyard. He then walked into the schoolyard, and chased potential victims into the building. Inside, he hunted the staff, parents, and students. He shot approximately five people, including some that he chased out of the building and back into the schoolyard. He used two guns in the attack, switching to a .45 caliber gun after his 9mm jammed. The gunman then retrieved his moped and drove off.

Police cordoned off the area, escorting parents, children and staff out of the school.

The President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, immediately traveled to Toulouse and to the school. He canceled all meetings and election events to attend to the situation, and held a conference at the site (see Reactions, below).

Victims

Five people were shot. Of those, four died at the scene. A fifth was gravely injured.

Dead on scene

• Visiting school teacher Rabbi Yonatan (Jonathan) Sandler, from the Kiryat HaYovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel
• Sandler's six or eight year old son Aryeh (age varies by source)
• Sandler's three year old son Gavriel

Later death

• Miriam Monsonego, the daughter of Rabbi Yaakov (Jacob) Monsonego, the school principal. Her age has been listed as eight or ten years old by various sources.

The gunman was reported to have lifted Miriam by her hair before shooting her dead.

Injured

Two children were injured by the gunman but immediately survived the attack. One died later of her wounds (see above). The other was a 17-year-old boy in grave condition, who was brought to a local hospital for surgery.

Aftermath

Reactions

President Sarkozy called the attack a "national tragedy," declared that "hate cannot win," and said "the Republic is much stronger ." He also called for a minute of silence in all schools on 20 March.

All of Sarkozy's rivals in presidential elections, including François Hollande, also travelled to Toulouse the same day. Electioneering was suspended by all candidates, including Sarkozy.

Security was increased in the immediate aftermath of the shooting. Many Jewish institutions were already under continuous protection. However, due to this act of terrorism, all streets in France which have Jewish institutions on them are now closed to traffic.

The murdered had Israeli-French citizenship and are planned to be buried in Israel.

The Vatican's official spokesperson, the Rev. Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., said the shooting was "a horrible and shameful act," which gives rise to "profound outrage and shock."

At the White House Press Office, U.S. President Barack Obama's United States National Security Council spokesperson Tommy Vietor, in an official statement, said: "We were deeply saddened to learn of the horrific attack this morning against the teachers and students of a Jewish school in the French city of Toulouse. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims, and we stand with a community in grief. We join the Government of France in condemning this unprovoked and outrageous act of violence in the strongest possible terms."

Investigation

Police immediately noted the similarity in modus operandi to the pair of recent shootings. Within hours, investigators matched ballistics of the school attack to both other shootings.

Toulouse prosecutor Michel Valet reported that apparently two guns were used, including one heavy caliber weapon.

References

1. Erlanger, Steve (March 19, 2012). "Gunman Kills 4 at a Jewish School in France". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
2. Le Monde, AFP, Reuters (19 March 2012). "Une fusillade devant une école juive à Toulouse fait au moins trois morts". Le Monde (in French). {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. "Four killed in shooting at Jewish school in France". Haaretz. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
4. ^ Rothman, Andrea (19 March 2012). "4 Dead in Shooting at Jewish School in France". Businessweek. Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
5. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57399931/france-raises-terror-alert-to-highest-level/
6. ^ "Gunman kills 4 outside Jewish school in France". Associated Press. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
7. "Toulouse shooting: four killed outside Jewish school". Guardian. 2012-03-19.
8. ^ Hartley-parkinson, Richard; Peter Allen (19 March 2012). "Toulouse shooting: 4 dead and several injured by gunman at French Jewish school". Daily Mail UK. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012. {{cite news}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
9. ^ "Victims of Shooting at Jewish School in Toulouse, France Identified, Several Still Fighting for Their Lives". The Jewish Press. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
10. ^ "Four shot dead at Jewish school in France; gun used in earlier attacks". MSNBC. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
11. "Fusillade de Toulouse : Sarkozy décrète une minute de silence". Le Monde (in French). March 19, 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.Template:Fr icon
12. Catholicnews.com
13. whitehouse.gov
14. ^ Chrisafis, Angelique; press agencies (19 March 2012). The Guardian http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.guardian.co.uk%2Fworld%2F2012%2Fmar%2F19%2Ftoulouse-shooting-three-killed-jewish-school%3Fnewsfeed%3Dtrue&date=2012-03-19. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
15. "Forensics links 3 French motorbike attacks". CBS News. 19 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.

External links

• Collège et Lycée Ozar Hatorah website

• Current events from March 2012
• Articles to be merged from March 2012
• 2012 in France
• 21st-century attacks on synagogues and Jewish communal organizations
• Antisemitism in France
• Deaths by firearm in France
• History of Toulouse
• Israeli casualties
• Mass murder in 2012
• Murder in France
• School massacres
• Terrorism in France
• Terrorist incidents in 2012