US3 min(s) read
Published 12:35 17 Apr 2026 GMT
Shocking moment heroic principal tackled school shooter - taking a bullet to protect students
Video footage of the moment a brave high school principal tackled a shooter has started to circulate online.
The incident took place on April 7, when a former student made their way into Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma, armed with two semi-automatic handguns.
Reports state that the shooter entered the school and fired multiple shots before he was tackled by Principal Kirk Moore.
The alleged attacker, Victor Lee Hawkins, was later apprehended and charged with shooting with intent to kill, feloniously pointing a firearm, and carrying a weapon to a public assembly.
Moore disarmed Hawkins alongside another staff member, who helped to wrestle the attacker and stop him from causing further damage.
It's been revealed that the principal is now healthy and recovering, despite being shot in the leg during the struggle with the felon.
CCTV footage of the incident
The Oklahoma principal has been praised for preventing the 20-year-old suspected shooter from carrying out the shooting, with investigators revealing some harrowing details.
They claimed that Hawkins was obsessed with the infamous 1999 shooting at Colorado's Columbine High School, where 12 students and one teacher were killed.
Newly released footage reveals that the principal tackled the shooter after hiding in his office, charging at and then tackling him.
Another staff member arrived at the scene to remove the gun from Hawkins' hand after the principal was wounded.
Moore has been released from hospital since the incident, while Hawkins was arrested on the scene and is now set to appear before a court.
The harrowing incident would have been the 22nd US school shooting so far in 2026, if not for the principal's actions.
Details of the shooting
Authorities detailed that Moore's actions definitely prevented a tragedy from taking place, as Don May, chief of the Pauls Valley police department, told NBC News: “It doesn’t surprise me the actions that he took, but it is amazing, the actions that he took,
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that he saved kids’ lives.”
Hawkins fired several shots, though nobody was hurt apart from Moore.
The news outlet reported that Hawkins remained at Garvin county detention center on $1 million bail, with a court appearance set for May 8.
This incident took place shortly before 2:20pm on April 7, according to an arrest affidavit.
Special agent Meric Mussett of the Oklahoma state bureau of investigation, had written that Hawkins, who graduated from the school in 2025, took two of his father's weapons from home.
He then made his way to the school “with the intent of killing students, facility [sic], and finally himself”.
Why did Hawkins try to carry out the shooting?
Mussett added that the shooter then "entered the school, pointed his pistol, and yelled for everyone to get on the ground."
He is said to have pointed a gun at a female student in the lobby and pulled the trigger, but his weapon malfunctioned.
The agent explained: “Hawkins then stepped out from behind the vending machine and pointed his gun at a male student in the foyer. Principal Moore then came out of his office and charged at Hawkins.”
It has been reported that Hawkins told the investigator that he aimed to “conduct his own school shooting like the Columbine shooters did," as the two teenage shooters took their own lives after killing students and a teacher.
Mussett also disclosed that “Hawkins did not like Moore, therefore Hawkins went to the school to kill Moore.”
Paul Valley's website published a statement that outlined their preparations for a shooting.