Students walking together in the aftermath of Monday's attack on a French Jewish School where 4 were murdered. Photo: screenshot via IrishTimes.

Monday’s attack at a Jewish school in Southwest France has put the local community on edge, but they are planning to hold a community event on Monday in a show of solidarity, according to Moshe Chein.

Chein’s daughter is in the middle school at Ozar Hatorah, a Jewish Day School, where a gunman opened fire and killed four people on Monday.

“My daughter is in the 6th grade and she arrived a minute before and passed by them [child victims] waiting with their father and as she went in, she heard gunshots.  There was screaming –  ‘hide, runaway’.  She turned back and saw the guy a few feet away and saw him shooting at people,” he said.

“The kids who were killed were little kids that study in the elementary school,” Chein Said.  “The children which were killed were waiting to be transported to the other school.”

Two of the three children killed on Monday were waiting with their father, who was also murdered.  The family had arrived from Israel in September.

“He just came from Jerusalem, a wonderful family, wonderful kids and he was waiting with his kids to either drive himself, or have his kids be driven to the Lubavitch school.”

The third child victim was the daughter of the school’s principle.

Asked about the law enforcement response to Monday’s attack, Chein said it seemed very professional.

“I immediately drove down to the school because my daughter was there and when I got there, they were already there.  My daughter sent me a text, ‘ it’s dangerous, don’t come’, so I stopped off in the police station to get information and they were extremely extremely nice, they spoke to me and gave me support and told me to come back if I needed anything.”

“As I drove out of the police station, the helicopters had already arrived.”

Chein says the community is shaken up and his focus is on helping his daughter recover from Monday’s tragedy.

“I’m trying to sound calm but inside I’m not calm.  The amount of tissues in the house, it’s just a total shock and there are no words.”