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PAULS VALLEY, OK — A high school principal is being called a hero after he tackled an armed intruder inside his school Tuesday, stopping a potential mass shooting at the cost of a gunshot wound to his own leg.

As reported by Fox News, Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore spotted 20-year-old former student Victor Hawkins entering the building with a firearm. Moore and other staff immediately moved to confront and subdue the gunman before he could reach students.

“When the principal noticed this, he quickly stepped in, as well as other staff,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Hunter McKee told KOCO-TV. Hawkins managed to fire multiple rounds during the struggle, striking Moore in the leg, but no students were injured.

The shooting unfolded around 2:21 p.m. The school was placed on lockdown while officers responded, and students were later reunited with their families. Moore and staff held Hawkins down until law enforcement arrived and took him into custody.

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Pauls Valley Superintendent Brett Knight praised Moore at a press conference held at the scene. “I know the word gets thrown around quite a bit, but he is a hero today,” Knight said.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt echoed that sentiment, saying Moore “acted bravely to protect students’ lives.” Stitt added that he and his wife were praying for Moore’s quick recovery and expressed gratitude that no students were harmed.

Hawkins, who was booked into the Garvin County Jail, was charged Wednesday with one count each of shooting with intent to kill and carrying a weapon to a public assembly, along with two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm. His bond was set at $1 million. A motive for the shooting has not been determined.

Armed Citizen Takeaway

This incident is a reminder that the first line of defense in any violent encounter is often the people already on the scene. Law enforcement response is critical, but the window between the start of a violent attack and police arrival can be the difference between lives saved and lives lost. Moore and his staff acted without hesitation the moment they identified a threat, and that immediate action is what kept students safe. Situational awareness, the willingness to act, and the courage to close the distance on a threat are not skills reserved for law enforcement. They are survival skills every responsible adult should think about in advance.