In the pink-hued streets of Toulouse , France 's `` Ville Rose , '' flags are flying at half-mast : The city is in mourning -- and shock . In just over a week , three brutal shootings have left seven people -- including three young children -- dead , and two more fighting for their lives . The attacks , two targeting soldiers from ethnic minorities , and the third focused on a Jewish school , have stunned the country , and left local residents dreading the gunman 's next move . `` There is a lot of fear , '' said Jean Cohadon , crime reporter on the Dépêche du Midi newspaper . `` He has killed three times already , with more victims each time , and people are asking 'What will he do tomorrow ? ' '' Toulouse , a pretty city on the banks of the Garonne river in southwestern France , is best known for its historic old town , universities , churches and galleries , and for being home to aircraft manufacturer Airbus . With a huge student population , and workers drawn from across the world to work in companies linked to the aerospace industry , the city is proudly international . `` I 've always felt very safe here , '' one Jewish-American resident , who asked not to be named , told CNN . `` We love the city . It is a charming place , like a village within a city , really , very quaint . `` We are just shell-shocked by what has happened . We ca n't believe it -- it seems so surreal . '' The drama began nine days ago , with the shooting of an off-duty soldier in Toulouse . But at first , Cohadon says , no one could imagine the horrors to come . `` The first death was not unnoticed , but no one had any idea of what was behind it -- the soldier was not in uniform , and it seemed like an isolated incident , '' he told CNN . Then last Thursday three members of a local parachute regiment were gunned down in Montauban , 30 miles away . Two of the men died ; the third remains critically ill. Police soon linked the two attacks , which involved soldiers from North African and Caribbean backgrounds , and which were carried out with the same weapon , by a gunman who fled on a scooter . `` That led to questions about the motivation behind the attack , '' said Cohadon . `` Why were soldiers targeted ? Why members of a parachute regiment ? Was there a link to our operations in Afghanistan ? '' With the third attack , on the Ozar Hatorah School in Toulouse on Monday , things became , Cohadon says , `` even more troubling . '' `` Here we have four deaths , of whom three were children , little children , just three , six and eight . The attack seems predetermined , very violent -- the gunman is said to have shot at everything that moved , and again he made his getaway on a scooter . '' Again , the shooting has left local residents questioning the attacker 's motive -- and what else he may be capable of . `` Is the motive simply racist ? Is it someone who is attacking minorities ? Or is it a terrorist attack ? '' said Cohadon . `` And if he was capable of killing three times , in such a way , what happens next time ? '' Security has been beefed up across the city -- and at religious sites around the country -- and anti-terrorism police from Paris have been brought in to oversee the investigation , a sign that the killings are officially considered an act of terrorism , but the gunman remains at large . `` There is a lot of concern that no one has been apprehended yet -- that 's the big issue for everyone : Is this person going to be found ? '' says the U.S. expat , a member of the Americans in Toulouse group . `` But walking around the city , you would n't necessarily know about it -- the streets are still bustling . '' City authorities have canceled the annual carnival , which was to have taken place this week , both out of respect for the victims and their families , and because of concerns over safety . `` It 's an amazing statement from the city to say 'There 's no way we can celebrate , ' '' said the U.S. expat . It seems unlikely that the city 's residents will feel like celebrating anything until the killer is caught and brought to justice -- until then , Cohadon says , a mood of `` worry and incomprehension '' will continue to hang over the town .
City of Toulouse on high alert after three deadly attacks in just over a week . Police suspect gunman on scooter who is thought to be members of ethnic minorities . Local news : ` ` People are asking ' what will he do tomorrow ? ' '' Police have canceled Saturday 's carnival out of respect for dead , safety fears .