Tag: school shootings

Not Just Another School Shooting

A recent news story reminded me of my med school days at a small Oklahoma town that usually isn’t newsworthy. But now it is but not for a positive reason. I tell you about it in this post, because it is a problem that touches us all.

Note: This post deals with an emotional topic that may trigger painful feelings for some people.

In the mid 1970s, I was studying medicine at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Part of the first-year curriculum involved placing us in local and rural physician offices to observe and, hopefully, learn something about practicing medicine

I spent time with a couple of doctors in the city and nearby suburbs, and then it was time for my 4-week rural rotation. I was assigned to go to Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, about 55 miles south of OKC, straight down Interstate 35.

I had never been to Pauls Valley and never lived in a small town, having grown up in Tulsa, the second-largest city in Oklahoma. So in that regard, it would be another learning experience.

I found a place where the doctors knew their patients as friends, neighbors, and sometimes relatives. Office visits offered a chance to catch up on life, as well as address medical issues. Despite living in a small town, the doctors practiced with the same level of knowledge and skill as in the city. People respected, appreciated, and trusted their doctors.

I finished my rotation with a new understanding of what it means to be a physician. I have never returned to Pauls Valley, nor have I thought about it.

Until I heard this story on the local TV news. Another school shooting.

But this story was different. This time, it was a principal who was shot. And he saved everyone else.

Pauls Valley principal receives heroism award for stopping school shooting

by Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
May 21, 2026

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma high school principal credited with stopping a school shooting has received a state award for heroism.

Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore accepted the Heroic Oklahoman Award from Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday. Stitt presented the award, meant for Oklahomans who display extraordinary heroism in the face of personal danger, to Moore during an Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting at the Capitol.

Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore, left, receives the Heroic Oklahoman Award from Gov. Kevin Stitt at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)

“I don’t have words to express the appreciation,” Moore said afterward. “I hate that such a tragic event happened. I appreciate all the attention, but I just – I’m ready to move on with life.”

Moore, on April 7, tackled a gunman who entered the high school lobby with a pistol, video of the incident shows. 

He said he suffered a gunshot wound to his knee while subduing the intruder, but the bullet didn’t hit bone.

No other school staff or students were hurt.

“His courage reflects really the very best of Oklahomans,” Stitt said before giving Moore the award.

Security footage shows the gunman pointing a firearm at two students before Moore bolted out of the school office, tackled the shooter, and held him down while another staff member took the gun away.

Moore said he acted on pure instinct in that moment.

“Everybody was just reacting the way they’ve been trained,

When you’re in education, you’re not there to make money. You’re there for kids, and you’ll do anything for your kids.”

Principal Paul Moore

Moore was born and raised in Pauls Valley, a town of about 6,000 people more than 50 miles south of Oklahoma City. This is his 37th year working in Pauls Valley schools, he said.

In the wake of the shooting, a GoFundMe page and corporate donations have raised about $100,000 for a “Principal Moore fund,” he said. Moore intends to donate the money to former Pauls Valley students who finish college or a training program to become teachers or first responders.

The April 7 incident made international headlines, prompting the principal to be hailed as a hero worldwide.

Victor Hawkins, 20, has been charged in Garvin County District Court with shooting with intent to kill, two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm, and two counts of carrying a weapon to a public assembly, court records show. 

Hawkins has pleaded not guilty to the charges. He is a former student at the high school, law enforcement reported.

The students who were most directly affected by the incident haven’t returned to school, Moore said. They’re finishing the school year online.

“We’re getting them help,” he said. “It’s just a tough situation, but our kids are pretty resilient for the most part.”

It was a day, “where God had his hand on all of us.”

Kirk Moore, Principal

Republished under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com.

Source USA Facts

Accounts From Other Sources

The local newspaper reported that Mr. Moore was transported to Oklahoma City by helicopter for treatment at the university medical center, now OU Health. Although no vital organs were hit, a gunshot wound in the leg can be deadly. The femoral artery supplies blood to the leg. As one of the largest arteries in the body, damage can cause life-threatening hemorrhage.

Court documents state that Victor Hawkins intended to commit a mass shooting at the school and that he was influenced by the Columbine school shooting. During an arraignment, he told a judge he had every intention of going inside the school to shoot students, faculty, and then himself. (KOCO NEWS) The judge urged law enforcement to limit public comment on the case to protect his right to a fair trial.

Pauls Valley isn’t relying on “thoughts and prayers” in the aftermath of this tragedy. The Pauls Valley Board of Education got the early details as changes are in the planning stages to beef up security at all four schools in the wake of the shooting incident. (Pauls Valley Democrat newspaper)

Superintendent Dr. Brett Knight said he and others have worked weekly with state and federal education officials to learn more and move forward with a plan to improve security at each local school.

At the top of the list could be making a change to the main entry points at the schools. One change on the way is the addition of a school resource officer, giving Pauls Valley schools two SROs. One thing that could come from a grant is a weapon detection system, which Superintendent Knight said is far more advanced than metal detectors.

“Innocence has been taken away,” board President JR Jackson said, referring to the shooting aftermath. “This is the new norm.”

The “New Norm”

If you have been personally affected by a school shooting, I offer my condolences. I hope you are getting whatever help you need to recover.

As I wrote earlier, I haven’t thought about Pauls Valley in 50 years. I’m disappointed that this is the reason it made the news. I applaud and appreciate Principal Moore and the other principals and teachers like him.

And there are likely other kids like the one charged in this shooting and am frustrated that we seem unable to identify and stop them. I wonder why the MAHA movement ignores this issue.

What thoughts come into your mind when you hear about “another” school shooting?

What emotions do school shooting reports stir up for you?

What actions will you take about the issue of school violence? I hope you will keep it in mind as your communities hold primaries in preparation for the midterm elections in the fall.

Images in this Post

The cover photo is from the RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com and is not affiliated with Pauls Valley High School.

The statistical graphic is from USAFacts, “built on official US government data”.

Exploring the HEART of Health

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Reading this related post might save your life.

How to Survive an Active Shooter

Shootings in the United States have resulted in numerous casualties across diverse demographics. An active shooter poses a significant threat, necessitating preparedness. The recommended response includes three strategies: RUN to safety, HIDE if escape is impossible, and FIGHT as a last resort. Prioritizing personal and collective safety is crucial.

Keep reading

How to Survive an Active Shooter

Shootings in the United States have resulted in numerous casualties across diverse demographics. An active shooter poses a significant threat, necessitating preparedness. The recommended response includes three strategies: RUN to safety, HIDE if escape is impossible, and FIGHT as a last resort. Prioritizing personal and collective safety is crucial.

updated April 18, 2025

It has been almost three years since I wrote this post, but the situation has not changed. Shootings still happen at schools, universities, homes, and businesses regularly. And our communities seem powerless to stop them.

Within the past year there have been shootings causing injuries and fatalities in a church, a grocery, an elementary school, a holiday celebration, and a medical office.

Among the dead are employees, customers, grade school age children, teachers, physicians, a receptionist, a patient and spouse.

Ethnically they were Caucasian, Black, Asian, and Hispanic. Men and women, boys and girls. And these are just the ones that I remember reading about.

What is an active shooter?

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area, 

Active Shooter Resources-FBI

We are all at risk. Although we trust the police to repond and rush to our aid, they won’t save everyone. We must know what to do to save ourselves and those around us.

Safety professionals offer these guidelines that we should learn and remember. In the panic of the moment it will be difficult to think through a rational plan to survive. Be prepared every day; that may be the day you need it.

How to survive

RUN

  1. Wherever you are, always know where the exits are, preferably ones you can easily and quickly reach; locate at least 2 if possible in case one becomes inaccessible.  
  2. Your first response to a threat should be escape; run to the nearest exit as soon as safely possible; go, even if others are not willing to go with you.
  3. Leave your stuff behind. Run with empty hands up and visible.
  4. Listen to police and answer their questions, try to give them accurate information about what is happening. Get away to a safe place and stay out of the responders’ way.

HIDE

  1. If escape is not possible, then hide, preferably in a locked room. Push heavy furniture against the door.
  2. Silence your cell phone when hiding. If you can, call 911 but don’t speak if you might be heard by the shooter; just leave the line open so the dispatcher can hear.

FIGHT

  1. If neither escape or hiding is possible, then engage the shooter, try to disable the person with the gun.
  2. If you’ve been hiding, make a plan to defend yourself. If you are with other people, work together.
  3. Aim to control the weapon; work together to disable the shooter with anything you can use as a weapon. Attack the shooter verbally, yelling.

A coordinated ambush can incapacitate the attacker. You are fighting for your life-don’t fight fair.

Active Shooter Resources-FBI

This video from the FBI website graphically shows what to do when confronted with an active shooter situation, then details each step. Well worth watching.

Active Shooter Booklet from Homeland Security Download

Exploring the HEART of health and safety

Funerals for two physician victims of shootings happened in my city. We need action to end this vicious cycle of violence that has become another pandemic.

Note that these guidelines should coordinate with protocols in place at your school, church, or workplace. Your primary goal should always be your own safety, and that of others if possible.

photos of 2 men and 2 women who were victims of a mass shooting

Exploring the HEART of Health

I’d love for you to follow this blog and follow me on social media.

I share information and inspiration to help you transform challenges into opportunities for learning and growth.

Add your name to the subscribe box to be notified of new posts by email. Click the link to read the post and browse other content. It’s that simple. No spam.

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Medical stethoscope and heart on a textured background

Dr Aletha