A Former Student Walked In Armed For A Massacre. Only His Principal Stood In The Way.

Principal Kirk Moore leapt into action when an armed former student walked into his school on Tuesday and opened fire, sustaining a bullet wound to the leg as he worked to disarm and then restrain him.

Moore, principal of Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma, was the only person injured when former student Victor Hawkins, 20, entered the school on Tuesday afternoon armed with two semi-automatic handguns and immediately told everyone to “get on the ground.”

According to local NBC affiliate KFOR, Hawkins pointed a gun at a student in the entryway and pulled the trigger, but his firearm malfunctioned and he ducked behind a nearby vending machine in order to clear it. When he stepped out again, he fired at another student — but he missed, and the student put his hands in the air and asked him not to shoot again.

Hawkins, according to the report, then lowered his gun and told both students to get out — and they ran for the exit.

Upon hearing the commotion and the gunfire, Principal Moore came out of his office — and Hawkins fired again. Moore confronted the shooter directly and wrestled the firearm away, but took a bullet to the leg in the process. He and his assistant principal restrained Hawkins by lying on top of him, and were able to keep him restrained until law enforcement arrived.

Moore was flown to Oklahoma University Health in Oklahoma City, where he was treated for a gunshot wound to his leg and is expected to make a full recovery.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) investigators interviewed the suspect, who said that his intent had been to shoot students, members of the faculty, and eventually himself. The firearms — which he had stolen from a closet — and the truck he had driven to the school belonged to his father.

In the interview, Hawkins also stated that he had intended to kill Principal Moore specifically, and that he’d “wanted to conduct his own school shooting like the Columbine shooters did.”

Hawkins was arrested and charged with shooting with intent to kill, two counts of pointing a firearm and two counts of unlawful carry. He was booked at the Garvin County Jail, where he is being held on $1 million bond.

“Principal Moore acted bravely to protect students’ lives,” Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) said. “Sarah and I are praying for his quick recovery. I’m thankful for the swift response from law enforcement and school staff, and I’m grateful no students were harmed.”