CCTV video shows moment U.S. high school principal tackles active shooter – National
The alleged shooter, Victor Lee Hawkins, 20, walked into the lobby of Pauls Valley High School — where he was a former student — on April 7 shortly after 2 p.m., wielding a gun and telling everyone to get on the ground, an arrest affidavit seen by NBC News and The Guardian says.
He tried to shoot one student, but his gun malfunctioned.
After fixing the glitch, the suspect aimed at another person but missed, according to the document.
Within seconds, principal Kirk Moore can be seen on CCTV footage springing into action, running into the hallway, wrestling the gunman onto a bench and forcing the weapon from his hand. Another staff member then steps out into the hall, kicks the gun away from Hawkins, picks it up from the ground and calmly carries it away.
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Moore, who kept the shooter pinned to the bench while the weapon was removed, suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was transported to a nearby hospital. No one else was injured during the incident, according to multiple media reports.
“We’re about a population of 6,200 people. Good kids, good community. Certainly don’t expect these type of situations to happen in your town,” Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May told CBS News.
In a statement, Moore, who has been an educator for more than 35 years, thanked the community for the “outpouring of love and support” he had received since the attack, adding that he and so many like him are prepared to handle these types of events, saying he was “grateful for his instincts and training,” and that he is recovering and looking forward to returning to school.
Hawkins, who allegedly entered the school with two loaded semi-automatic pistols, is currently being held in Garvin County, Okla., with bail set at $1 million, according to the sheriff’s office.
He is charged with one count of shooting with intent to kill, two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm and one count of carrying a weapon to a public assembly, the District 21 District Attorney’s Office said in a Facebook statement.
Hawkins reportedly told investigators that Moore was someone he “did not like,” legal documents alleged, and said he “wanted to conduct his own school shooting like the Columbine shooters did.”
Police said the suspect admitted to entering the school with two guns, which he claims to have stolen from his father without permission.
Chief May said that Moore’s measured tackle of the assailant undoubtedly prevented a catastrophe.
“It doesn’t surprise me the actions that he took, but it is amazing, the actions that he took,” he said.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that he saved kids’ lives.”
Hawkins is scheduled to appear in court on May 8.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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