Try That in a Small Town: Wild Video Shows High School Principal Take Down Gunman With His Bare Hands

When armed individuals with bad intentions approach a building or an event where there are lots of people, oftentimes the outcome is devastating and horrific. We saw it with the Columbine and Sandy Hook massacres, the Nashville Covenant School mass shooting, and the Abundant Life Christian School mass shooting, just to name a few.

But sometimes, when all is said and done, it's the good guys who win at the end of the day, which is exactly what happened a week ago at a high school in Oklahoma.

The scene of the attempted mass shooting was Pauls Valley High School. And according to authorities, the school's principal, Kirk Moore, was the main target. 20-year-old Victor Lee Hawkins, a former student who investigators say admitted he was inspired by Columbine, approached the school on the afternoon of April 7th, armed with two semi-automatic pistols, per local reports, both of which were loaded (note: the feature image above is not a picture of the gun used in the shooting).

Here's what happened next after he walked into the front of the school:

Hawkins then pointed a gun at a student in the foyer and attempted to shoot, but the gun malfunctioned and did not fire.

The affidavit says Hawkins then stepped behind a vending machine “to clear the malfunction.”

Investigators say Hawkins then came back out and pointed his weapon at another student and fired a shot.

It says that the student put his hands in the air and asked Hawkins not to shoot him.

The document says Hawkins then lowered his gun. He told both students, whom he had just attempted to shoot, to leave the scene.

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After the students fled, it was at that point that Moore came out to look into what was going on and saw Hawkins, who shot him in the leg. But that didn't prevent Moore from tackling him onto a nearby bench, where the assistant principal was able to retrieve the gun Moore had knocked out of Hawkins' hand. Moore stayed on top of him to ensure he didn't get away:

According to the affidavit, Moore then “wrestled with Hawkins on a bench in the foyer and was able to remove Hawkins’ pistol from his hand.” It says Moore and the school’s assistant principal then lay on top of Hawkins until law enforcement arrived.

The video is incredible. Watch:

Y'all, Kirk Moore is no spring chicken. One report I read quoted someone who said they'd known him for 55 years. So he is at least that age, if not older. But this man did what needed to be done, and countless lives were saved that day:

Pauls Valley, I should also note, is a small town:

Pauls Valley is a community of about 6,000 people 60 miles (96 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City.

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As for Principal Moore's condition, he is expected to be okay. He issued this statement in response to the outpouring of support:

Pauls Valley schools are safe communities unaccustomed to the type of threat we witnessed on Tuesday. Nevertheless, like so many educators around the country, we prepare for these events through training and careful assessments of threats. I am grateful that my instincts and training, as well as God’s hand, were available to come to me on Tuesday.

My sincere thanks to the Pauls Valley police and fire departments, as well as the Garvin County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and ATF agents who responded to provide support. I am especially proud of the Pauls Valley alumni among this group who so selflessly serve our community and demonstrate the values of our school every day.

I look forward to returning to work as soon as possible so that I may continue my life’s work educating the next generation of Oklahoma leaders. Until then, my thoughts are with our outstanding students, safe today in the arms of their families and friends.

Get well soon, Principal Moore. And may God continue to bless you, the school, and its students.