Pauls Valley principal receives heroism award for stopping school shooting

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma high school principal credited with stopping a school shooting has received a state award for heroism.

Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore accepted the Heroic Oklahoman Award from Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday. Stitt presented the award, meant for Oklahomans who display extraordinary heroism in the face of personal danger, to Moore during an Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting at the Capitol.

“I don’t have words to express the appreciation,” Moore said afterward. “I hate that such a tragic event happened. I appreciate all the attention, but I just – I’m ready to move on with life.”

Moore on April 7 tackled a gunman who entered the high school lobby with a pistol, video of the incident shows. 

He said he suffered a gunshot wound to his knee while subduing the intruder, but the bullet didn’t hit bone.

No other school staff or students were hurt.

“His courage reflects really the very best of Oklahomans,” Stitt said before giving Moore the award.

Security footage shows the gunman pointed a firearm at two students before Moore bolted out of the school office, tackled the shooter and held him down while another staff member took the gun away.

Moore said he acted on pure instinct in that moment.

“Everybody was just reacting the way they’ve been trained,” he said. “When you’re in education, you’re not there to make money. You’re there for kids, and you’ll do anything for your kids.”

Moore was born and raised in Pauls Valley, a town of about 6,000 people more than 50 miles south of Oklahoma City. This is his 37th year working in Pauls Valley schools, he said.

In the wake of the shooting, a GoFundMe page and corporate donations have raised about $100,000 for a “Principal Moore fund,” he said. Moore intends to donate the money to former Pauls Valley students who finish college or a training program to become teachers or first responders.

The April 7 incident made international headlines, prompting the principal to be hailed as a hero worldwide.

Victor Hawkins, 20, has been charged in Garvin County District Court with shooting with intent to kill, two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm and two counts of carrying a weapon to a public assembly, court records show. 

Hawkins has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is a former student of the high school, law enforcement reported.

The students who were most directly affected by the incident haven’t returned to school, Moore said. They’re finishing the school year online.

“We’re getting them help,” he said. “It’s just a tough situation, but our kids are pretty resilient for the most part.”

It was a day, he said, “where God had his hand on all of us.”