What was going through the mind of Justin P., a 16-year-old reclusive high school student, before he unleashed chaos in the classrooms of Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides, his private school in Nantes, western France? On Thursday, April 24, shortly after 12:30 pm, the teenager, who preferred to spend hours alone in the forest after school with his knife and airsoft equipment, attacked four classmates with a knife.
One of his victims, 15-year-old Lorène, succumbed to her injuries. Another student, initially in critical condition, has since been reported as ‘out of danger,’ according to Nantes Prosecutor Antoine Leroy on Friday. The teenager’s detention was lifted Thursday evening after a psychiatrist determined that his mental health condition was incompatible with such a measure.
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A day after the incident, investigators were still trying to uncover the motive behind his actions. ‘At this point, we lack a clear understanding,’ stated a source close to the investigation. ‘No motive can be definitively established,’ the prosecutor confirmed during a press briefing on Friday. One of the insights that has emerged from the investigation is the possibility that the socially isolated high school student was experiencing emotional and social frustration.
According to his statements made during police custody, which were reported by Presse Océan and reviewed by Le Monde, Justin P. had intended to speak with Lorène, ‘the only person at school with whom he had meaningful conversations,’ on the morning of the incident, as noted by the prosecutor.
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