Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore is being hailed as a hero after newly released surveillance footage showed him tackling and disarming 20-year-old Victor Hawkins during a planned mass shooting on April 7, 2026. Despite being shot in the leg, Moore wrestled a loaded pistol away from Hawkins—who allegedly intended to conduct a “Columbine-style” attack—and held him until law enforcement arrived.
PAULS VALLEY, OK — A terrifying attempt to replicate one of history’s darkest school tragedies was thwarted by the physical intervention of an Oklahoma educator. At approximately 2:21 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, 20-year-old former student Victor Hawkins entered the lobby of Pauls Valley High School armed with two loaded pistols.
Surveillance footage released this week shows a person in a dark hooded sweatshirt being allowed into the building after an unidentified individual opened a door for them. Once inside the foyer, Hawkins allegedly pointed a gun at students and ordered them to the ground. According to an arrest affidavit, Hawkins attempted to fire at one student, but his weapon malfunctioned; he then fired at another student who pleaded for his life, but the shot missed.
The Heroic Takedown
Principal Kirk Moore, hearing the gunfire, rushed toward the danger. The video captures Moore sprinting at Hawkins and tackling him onto a bench in the foyer. During the struggle, Hawkins fired a shot that struck Moore in the leg. Despite the injury, Moore managed to wrestle the pistol away from Hawkins while other staff members arrived to help pin the suspect to the ground.
“The actions of the staff and the principal stepping in as soon as they saw a subject with a firearm saved lives today,” said Hunter McKee, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
Chilling Motive and Legal Charges
Investigators revealed that Hawkins had studied the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and told detectives he “wanted to conduct his own school shooting like the Columbine shooters did”. Hawkins currently faces several serious felony charges in Garvin County:
- Shooting with Intent to Kill
- Carrying a Weapon into a Public Assembly
- Feloniously Pointing a Firearm
Hawkins has pleaded not guilty and is being held on a $1 million bond. Principal Moore was airlifted to OU Health in stable condition and is currently recovering from his injuries. In a statement, Moore expressed his desire to return to work as soon as possible to continue “educating the next generation of Oklahoma leaders”.
Safety Tip: This incident is a textbook case of a malfunction providing a “window of opportunity” for a defender. If an active killer’s firearm jams or fails to fire, that is the most critical moment to close the distance and initiate a takedown. As seen in the Pauls Valley footage, Moore didn’t hesitate when the shooter was distracted by his weapon. Furthermore, this serves as a somber reminder of “door discipline”—the shooter gained entry only because someone opened the door from the inside. In a school environment, never bypass security protocols to let someone in, even if they look familiar. Your vigilance at the threshold is the first and most important layer of a multi-tiered defense.
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