Oklahoma Principal Tackles Gunman with Bare Hands, Prevents Major Tragedy

"Bold Takedown Like a Football Player Prevented Tragedy"

A story has emerged of a high school principal in Oklahoma, United States, who prevented a major tragedy by stopping a graduate who intruded with a gun using only his bare hands.

A high school principal in the United States who stopped a gun-wielding graduate with his bare hands. X (formerly Twitter)

According to NBC News and other foreign media on April 15 (local time), at around 2:20 p.m. on April 7, Victor Lee Hawkins (20), an intruder armed with two semi-automatic pistols, entered Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma. Hawkins, who is an alumnus of the school, is believed to have visited after making a plan to "kill students and staff and then end his own life."

Upon entering the school lobby, he shouted, "Everyone get on the floor," and tried to shoot a student, but the gun malfunctioned and did not fire. After fixing the gun, Hawkins then aimed at another student and fired, but missed.

During this time, Principal Kirk Moore, who ran out of the staff room after hearing gunshots, charged at Hawkins with his bare hands as soon as he saw him. Moore pushed Hawkins onto a nearby bench, knocking him down, and struggled to restrain both of his hands to prevent further shots. After a violent struggle, the gun fell from Hawkins's hand, and a school staff member who rushed over kicked the gun away, ending the situation. Moore was shot in the right leg during the incident but is reportedly not in life-threatening condition.

A high school principal in the United States who stopped a graduate wielding a firearm with his bare hands. X (formerly Twitter)

In a police investigation, Hawkins stated that he "wanted to stage a mass shooting like the Columbine High School incident." The Columbine shooting occurred in April 1999 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where students Eric Harris (then 18) and Dylan Klebold (then 17) fired more than 900 rounds indiscriminately. The shooters, Harris and Klebold, took their own lives in the school library.

Hawkins has been charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon in a public place. Don Meek, Chief of the Pauls Valley Police Department, said, "Principal Moore's bold takedown, reminiscent of a football player, prevented a tragedy," and added, "There is no doubt that he saved the lives of the children." In a statement, Principal Moore said, "Like many educators across the nation, we have regularly trained for threat situations," and added, "I am simply grateful that my instincts, training, and the hand of God were with me."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.