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Paris school shooting: Man commits suicide in front of group of nursery children

The man, in his 60s, walked into La Rochefoucauld school, near to the Eiffel Tower, with a sawn-off shotgun and turned it on himself in front of horrified youngsters

Shocked: Parents comfort children after the horrific incident

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Police in Paris say a man has committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in front of a group of nursery school children.

The man, in his 60s, walked into La Rochefoucauld school, near to the Eiffel Tower, with a sawn-off shotgun.

He is believed to have turned the weapon on himself in a school corridor and pulled the trigger in front of the children and an adult.

A dozen children witnessed the shooting, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe's office said in a statement.

The shooting took place shortly before noon as children were leaving the school premises for the lunch break.

The private Catholic school is in the 7th district on Paris' Left Bank, and educates children from nursery school to high school.

School officials would not comment but local media reported that a psychological trauma unit was being set up to provide support to children and school staff.

The man entered the school "without difficulty", according to witness reports.