Fifteen-Year-Old Student Kills Classmate and Injures Eight in Argentina School Shooting

A 15-year-old student shot and killed a 13-year-old classmate and injured eight other people at the Mariano Moreno school in San Cristóbal, Santa Fe province, Argentina, on Monday morning, March 30, 2026. The attacker concealed a shotgun inside a guitar case and opened fire during the school's daily flag-raising ceremony, which takes place before classes begin each day. A school employee intervened, overpowering the attacker and taking the weapon before police arrived to detain him. The victim, identified only as Ian, became the center of official condolences from provincial authorities who gathered for a press conference hours after the shooting.

Guitar case hid weapon during morning ceremony According to witnesses and local officials, the attack unfolded at approximately 7:15 in the morning as students assembled in the school courtyard for the flag-raising ritual. The attacker, a student at the same school, produced the shotgun — which one source described as possibly a hunting rifle — and fired an estimated four to five shots. „The students saw a boy who came out of the restroom with a weapon and they started screaming. He then started shooting, he shot into the air, and we started running.” — Priscila via Radio Con Vos In the chaos that followed, many students attempted to flee by jumping through windows, shattering glass and suffering cuts and blows in the process. Six students were treated at a local hospital for superficial, non-life-threatening injuries sustained while fleeing. Two other students, aged 13 and 15, were transported to the Regional Hospital in Rafaela, with one of them in serious but stable condition. Armando Borsini, the director of the hospital where the injured were transferred, confirmed the nature of the injuries sustained during the panicked evacuation.

Minister cites complex family situation, no school conflict Pablo Cococcioni, the Minister of Justice and Security of Santa Fe province, addressed the press and said the attacker had no prior record and had not previously caused problems in the school environment. Cococcioni stated that investigators had determined the shooting did not stem from a conflict within the school itself. „What we have been able to establish is that it is not a matter of a conflict within the school.” — Pablo Cococcioni via Ziare.com He added that the young man had been facing a "very complex family situation," though he did not elaborate further, citing the attacker's age as a reason for withholding identifying details. „It is very difficult to find an explanation for this type of event, especially when it takes place within the school setting.” — Pablo Cococcioni via Ziare.com Ramiro Muñoz, the Government Secretary of the Municipality of San Cristóbal, told broadcaster TN that investigators could not yet confirm whether the fatal shot was aimed directly at the 13-year-old victim or fired at random. Governor Maximiliano Pullaro confirmed the core details of the attack in public statements, describing the attacker as a 15-year-old who entered the school with a shotgun, injuring two classmates and killing a 13-year-old boy. Classes were suspended across the school following the attack, and students were sent home as authorities began their investigation.

Shootings of this kind remain extremely rare in Argentina Officials and local media emphasized that school shootings are exceptionally uncommon in Argentina, distinguishing the country's situation from that of the United States, where such incidents occur with far greater frequency. According to source articles, the last comparable cases in Argentina date to 2000 and 2004, when armed attacks at schools in Buenos Aires province claimed several victims. Unlike the United States, where private firearm ownership carries constitutional protection, Argentine law restricts the use and possession of weapons, though source articles note growing political pressure to ease those restrictions, including in sectors aligned with President Javier Milei's government. The AFP agency, which first reported the incident internationally, cited a source from the Provincial Security Ministry speaking under condition of anonymity. The town of San Cristóbal, with a population of approximately 15,000 to 16,000 residents, was described by local officials as being in a state of profound shock. Representatives from the ministries of education and security traveled to the scene to coordinate assistance, and authorities announced that psychological support would be made available to students and the broader school community. The prosecutor's office opened a formal investigation into the circumstances of the attack.

8 (people injured) — total injured in San Cristóbal school shooting

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