According to NBC News, the shooter, 20-year-old Victor Lee Hawkins, was armed with two semi-automatic handguns when he walked into the lobby of Pauls Valley High School on April 7. Investigators said Hawkins told everyone to get to the ground before trying to shoot one student, but his weapon jammed; after clearing the malfunction, he fired at another student and missed. Two students begged for their lives and were allowed to leave, with other students following, multiple reports indicate.
Kirk Moore then burst out from a nearby office and tackled Victor Lee Hawkins, pinning him to a bench and forcing the weapon out of his hand, according to multiple reports. During the altercation, Hawkins fired the weapon and struck Moore in the leg, multiple reports indicate. Another school official ran over, kicked away the handgun, and carried it back into the office, major media reports.
Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May said that Moore's tackle of the shooter stopped what could have been a massacre. According to prosecutors, Victor Lee Hawkins, once a student at the school, said he did not like Kirk Moore. Hawkins allegedly told police he went to the school with firearms owned by his father that he took without permission, multiple reports indicate.
It doesn't surprise me the actions that he took, but it is amazing, the actions that he took. There's not a doubt in my mind that he saved kids' lives.
According to the affidavit, Hawkins said he intended to kill students, faculty members, Moore, and himself. Major media reports that Hawkins was inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado. Hawkins was in custody on $1 million bail at the Garvin County Detention Center, according to jail records.
Per court records, Hawkins was charged with shooting with intent to kill, two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm, and two counts of carrying a weapon to a public assembly. Hawkins is due in court for a preliminary hearing on May 8, multiple reports indicate. The exact number of students present in the lobby during the incident has not been confirmed, and the identity and role of the other school official who assisted in disarming the shooter remain unclear.
The specific model or type of semi-automatic handguns used by the shooter is unknown, as is the current medical condition and expected recovery timeline for Principal Kirk Moore beyond his reported recovery. The specific motives or grievances that led Victor Lee Hawkins to target the school and Principal Moore have not been fully detailed.