Oklahoma Public Safety

Pauls Valley High School principal Kirk Moore was shot in the leg Tuesday afternoon while tackling a 20-year-old former student who entered the Oklahoma school with a gun and opened fire, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. OSBI spokesperson Hunter McKee said Moore and other staff immediately intervened after seeing the armed man, identified as Victor Hawkins, and subdued him even as Hawkins fired multiple rounds; Moore was airlifted in stable condition and no students were injured. The shooting occurred around 2:21 p.m. on April 7, 2026, prompting a lockdown until police cleared the building and reunited students with families. Hawkins was booked into the Garvin County Jail and on Wednesday was charged with shooting with intent to kill, carrying a weapon to a public assembly, and two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm, with bond set at $1 million. State and local officials, including Superintendent Brett Knight and Gov. Kevin Stitt, publicly praised Moore’s actions as life‑saving, while investigators say a motive remains unclear, a point already fueling online debate over school security, staff training, and how often educators are forced into front‑line roles in shootings.