Surveillance footage released April 14, 2026, shows Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore charging and tackling a gunman inside the school lobby on April 7, 2026, after the suspect opened fire.
NEW: Oklahoma high school principal seen charging at and disarming a school shooter in footage obtained by @SHumphreyTV.
Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore is being called a hero after getting shot while stopping a school shooter.
The suspect, identified as… pic.twitter.com/WOilXQIt5q
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 14, 2026
Authorities say the attack, modeled by the suspect on the 1999 Columbine school shooting, was cut short by both Moore’s intervention and a firearm malfunction that spared at least one additional student.
The suspect, 20-year-old Victor Lee Hawkins, a former student at the school, entered the lobby, pointed a firearm at two students, and ordered those present to the floor, according to a Garvin County affidavit.
As Hawkins advanced, the two students fled. Moore rushed forward, brought Hawkins to the ground, and a staff member removed the weapon from his hand. Moore was struck in the leg during the confrontation and was later discharged from the hospital.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) spokesman Hunter McKee said at a press conference outside the school that no students were struck.
“The subject was able to fire multiple rounds, where the principal was hurt, but no one else was,” McKee said. “The actions of the staff and the principal stepping in as soon as they saw a subject with a firearm saved lives today.”
Hawkins told investigators he decided at 2 p.m. that day to go to the school intending to kill students, faculty, and himself, per the affidavit. He said he wanted to carry out the attack “like the Columbine shooters did” and had specifically targeted the principal.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said it had no prior information on Hawkins before the attack. Agents urged the public to report behavioral warning signs, pointing to the FBI’s threat assessment program as a resource.
Hawkins faces two counts of pointing a firearm, one count of shooting with intent to kill, and two counts of unlawful carry. A judge set bond at $1 million and barred contact with Moore. He is due back in court in May.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Moore “acted bravely to protect students’ lives.”
WOW. Kirk Moore, the Principal of Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma, was injured after he TACKLED a would-be school shooter.
Moore suffered a gunshot wound to the leg but was able to subdue the shooter and prevent further casualties.
This man is a HERO. pic.twitter.com/ibdTgGNW2X
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 10, 2026
Moore, in a statement after his hospital discharge, said: “I look forward to returning to work as soon as possible so that I may continue my life’s work educating the next generation of Oklahoma leaders.”
