Students at Pauls Valley High School voted to crown their principal prom king on Friday night, a gesture of gratitude for his actions during an armed attack on campus just weeks earlier.
Kirk Moore charged an intruder who entered the school on April 7, disarmed him with help from another staff member, and was shot in the leg during the struggle. Surveillance video captured the entire sequence.
The intruder, identified as Victor Lee Hawkins, a 20-year-old former student, arrived at the school about 60 miles south of Oklahoma City with two semi-automatic handguns. He fired several shots and pointed his weapon at a female student in the lobby, but her gun malfunctioned when he pulled the trigger.
When Hawkins moved toward another student in the foyer, Moore emerged from his office and rushed the attacker. The struggle left Moore wounded, but he and the staff member who came to his aid managed to disarm him before anyone else was harmed.
Court documents indicate Hawkins was obsessed with the 1999 Columbine shooting. Police and school officials credited Moore with preventing a potential mass casualty event.
"There's not a doubt in my mind that he saved kids' lives," Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May told NBC News, adding that Moore's response "doesn't surprise me but it is amazing."
At prom on Friday, video showed the moment Moore received his crown to cheers from his students. The sound system played the chorus from the Spider-Man theme song: "And they say that a hero can save us / I'm not going to stand here and wait."
Moore released a statement saying he was grateful for the support from his community and credited his training, instincts, and faith for his actions that day. "Like so many educators around the country, we prepare for these events through training and careful assessment of the threats," he said.
Author James Rodriguez: "A principal taking down an armed attacker is the kind of story that cuts through the noise, and his students knew it."
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