This is the kind of principal you want at your kids’ school! A high school principal in Oklahoma is being credited with saving countless lives after he rushed and tackled a would-be school shooter onto a bench. Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore was shot in the leg by the gunman, but he was still able to hold him down while another staffer disarmed him. The entire thing was captured on surveillance footage. Watch it here: HOLY CRAP! Newly-released surveillance video shows a high school principal in Oklahoma TACKLING a school shooter before he could open fire on kids What a HERO! Principal Kirk Moore RUSHED the shooter when he aimed at his first would-be victim, wresting the gun away from him.… pic.twitter.com/Z75dmXKFLw — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 14, 2026 HOLY CRAP! Newly-released surveillance video shows a high school principal in Oklahoma TACKLING a school shooter before he could open fire on kids What a HERO! Principal Kirk Moore RUSHED the shooter when he aimed at his first would-be victim, wresting the gun away from him. Give this man an award. Absolute legend. The attempted shooter at Pauls Valley High School is now being held on a $1 million bond. What an absolute hero! Principal Moore was hospitalized for the bullet wound in his leg, but thankfully, he is now doing okay. He’s getting a lot of praise for his brave actions: That’s OKLAHOMA STRONG right there. We have some amazing people with strength, grit and character!! — Jtphotog (@Jtphotog1) April 14, 2026 Glad we still have brave men in our schools. Not just rainbow warriors — Tickle (@TickleTexts) April 14, 2026 Gramps a real one. pic.twitter.com/FjqR5mCkiX — Michael Oliver (@SemanticSteward) April 14, 2026 Some folks are even calling for him to get the Presidential Medal of Freedom: Trump needs to visit/call this man then set up a date to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom on every national television broadcast during primetime — Magavelli (@Magavelli179468) April 15, 2026 He certainly deserves it! The suspect, 20-year-old former student Victor Lee Hawkins, confessed that he had planned a Columbine-style shooting. Hawkins is now facing multiple serious charges. NBC News has more: In an arrest affidavit, investigators said Victor Lee Hawkins, 20, armed with two semiautomatic handguns, walked into the lobby of the school that afternoon, told everyone to hit the ground and tried to shoot one student but was thwarted by a malfunctioning weapon. After he cleared the malfunction, he opened fire on another student but missed, according to the document. The two students pleaded for mercy and were allowed to leave, with other pupils following, as Moore charged out of a nearby door and tackled Hawkins, pinning his face down on a bench, removing a gun from his hand and holding him down with the help of an assistant principal, according to the affidavit and school security video. Hawkins, a former student at the school, described Moore as someone he “did not like,” prosecutors alleged, and said he “wanted to conduct his own school shooting like the Columbine shooters did,” referring to the 1999 high school shooting in Colorado that ended in the deaths of 14 victims and two teenage shooters. Investigators said Hawkins admitted going to the school with two firearms belonging to his father, which he is alleged to have taken without permission. He said his intention was to kill students, faculty members, Moore and himself, the affidavit said. During his confrontation with the suspect, Moore was shot in a leg, authorities said, and he was hospitalized. In his statement, released Friday, Moore said that he is “healthy and recovering” and that he looks forward to returning to work as soon as he is able. Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May said in an interview that Moore’s football-like takedown thwarted a tragedy. “It doesn’t surprise me the actions that he took, but it is amazing, the actions that he took,” he said. “There’s not a doubt in my mind that he saved kids’ lives.” Hawkins was in custody Tuesday at the Garvin County Detention Center in lieu of $1 million bail, according to jail records. He has been charged with shooting with intent to kill, feloniously pointing a firearm and carrying a weapon to a public assembly, according to court records.