By . Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 11:18 EST, 16 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:39 EST, 17 May 2013 . Children as young as five have told how a pensioner brandishing a sawn-off shot gun walked into their kindergarten before shooting himself dead in front of them. The horrifying scene played out at the St Pierre La Rochefoucauld School, in one of the most upmarket areas of Paris close to the Eiffel Tower. ‘The man was killed with a gun,’ said one five-year-old witness. ‘He fell on the ground, there was lots of blood everywhere. I thought it was a terrorist.’ Parents arrive to get their children as policemen stand guard at the entrance of the nursery school . Others spoke about the man, who was in his 60s and lived locally, handing out notes related to a tax evasion scandal involving France’s Socialist government. All of those who witnessed the carnage were being treated by psychiatrists specialising in sudden trauma. A mother of one of the children involved said: ‘Apparently he’s a madman whom they tried to stop. He reacted by shooting himself.’ The so far unidentified man is said to have entered the school at around 11.30am, ‘without any problems at all’, said a police source. Around a dozen pupils at the school and one teacher are thought to have witnessed the horror . Forensic policemen stand near the entrance of the nursery school where a man in his 60s shot himself dead with a sawn-off shotgun . Paris prefect Bernard Boucault (centre), flanked by Paris' education officer Francois Weil (right) and Paris' deputy mayor and socialist candidate to the municipal elections in Paris Anne Hidalgo (left) He had no connection with the school, but is thought to have been involved in incidents of domestic violence against his own family members, including children. Around a dozen pupils at the school and one teacher are thought to have witnessed the horror. ‘We think he used a single gun – there was a loud blast,’ said a neighbour living in the upmarket 7th arrondissement on Paris’s Left Bank, where the school has been situated since the 18th Century. Police who attended the scene said the man was was thought to be suffering from psychological problems. The kindergarten is an exclusive Roman Catholic one favoured by wealthy families living in the area, which is close to the French Parliament and numerous government departments. Another neighbour told Europe 1 radio: ‘There are firefighters, police, especially police, and security everywhere. Paris' prefect Bernard Boucault (C), and Paris' education officer Francois Weil (R) speaks to journalists . Parents comfort their children and take them home from the kindergarten . Investigation: Police stand guard at the entrance of the nursery school in the upmarket part of Paris . ‘We do not know if it's a parent, or a student, or if it's personal. He committed suicide with a gun. There are people around who said the noise was like a bomb.’ The man is said to have been distributing bits of paper with the names ‘Cahuzac’ and ‘Montgolfier’ scribbled on them. Jerome Cahuzac is the disgraced Socialist budget minister who is facing prison for laundering hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cash through Switzerland so as to avoid paying tax. Eric de Mongolfier is France’s Attorney General, and the man tasked with investigating such incidents of corruption. The shooting prompted Vincent Peillon, France’s education minister, to return to Paris from Brussels as a ‘matter of emergency’, said a spokesman for his ministry. The school is made up of a nursery, an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. It is close to the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides.
The shooting took pace at the St Pierre La Rochefoucauld School .
The school is in an upmarket area of Paris close to the Eiffel Tower .
All those who witnessed the shooting are being treated by psychiatrists .
By . Peter Allen . PUBLISHED: . 11:18 EST, 16 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:39 EST, 17 May 2013 . Children as young as five have told how a pensioner brandishing a sawn-off shot gun walked into their kindergarten before shooting himself dead in front of them. The horrifying scene played out at the St Pierre La Rochefoucauld School, in one of the most upmarket areas of Paris close to the Eiffel Tower. ‘The man was killed with a gun,’ said one five-year-old witness. ‘He fell on the ground, there was lots of blood everywhere. I thought it was a terrorist.’ Parents arrive to get their children as policemen stand guard at the entrance of the nursery school . Others spoke about the man, who was in his 60s and lived locally, handing out notes related to a tax evasion scandal involving France’s Socialist government. All of those who witnessed the carnage were being treated by psychiatrists specialising in sudden trauma. A mother of one of the children involved said: ‘Apparently he’s a madman whom they tried to stop. He reacted by shooting himself.’ The so far unidentified man is said to have entered the school at around 11.30am, ‘without any problems at all’, said a police source. Around a dozen pupils at the school and one teacher are thought to have witnessed the horror . Forensic policemen stand near the entrance of the nursery school where a man in his 60s shot himself dead with a sawn-off shotgun . Paris prefect Bernard Boucault (centre), flanked by Paris' education officer Francois Weil (right) and Paris' deputy mayor and socialist candidate to the municipal elections in Paris Anne Hidalgo (left) He had no connection with the school, but is thought to have been involved in incidents of domestic violence against his own family members, including children. Around a dozen pupils at the school and one teacher are thought to have witnessed the horror. ‘We think he used a single gun – there was a loud blast,’ said a neighbour living in the upmarket 7th arrondissement on Paris’s Left Bank, where the school has been situated since the 18th Century. Police who attended the scene said the man was was thought to be suffering from psychological problems. The kindergarten is an exclusive Roman Catholic one favoured by wealthy families living in the area, which is close to the French Parliament and numerous government departments. Another neighbour told Europe 1 radio: ‘There are firefighters, police, especially police, and security everywhere. Paris' prefect Bernard Boucault (C), and Paris' education officer Francois Weil (R) speaks to journalists . Parents comfort their children and take them home from the kindergarten . Investigation: Police stand guard at the entrance of the nursery school in the upmarket part of Paris . ‘We do not know if it's a parent, or a student, or if it's personal. He committed suicide with a gun. There are people around who said the noise was like a bomb.’ The man is said to have been distributing bits of paper with the names ‘Cahuzac’ and ‘Montgolfier’ scribbled on them. Jerome Cahuzac is the disgraced Socialist budget minister who is facing prison for laundering hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cash through Switzerland so as to avoid paying tax. Eric de Mongolfier is France’s Attorney General, and the man tasked with investigating such incidents of corruption. The shooting prompted Vincent Peillon, France’s education minister, to return to Paris from Brussels as a ‘matter of emergency’, said a spokesman for his ministry. The school is made up of a nursery, an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. It is close to the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides.
played out at the St Pierre La Rochefoucauld Paris close to the Eiffel Tower. ‘The man was France’s Socialist government. All of those who witnessed the carnage were being treated by ministry. The school is made up of a nursery, an