A heroic Oklahoma principal who took a bullet while tackling a school shooter was crowned prom king by his proud students.
Kirk Moore, the principal of Pauls Valley High School, was fitted with a gold crown on Friday night as students cheered him on, just weeks after he was shot in the leg while bravely taking down armed suspect Victor Lee Hawkins.
Hawkins, 20, stormed into the school on April 7 with two semi-automatic handguns when Moore rushed out of his nearby office and restrained the shooter, who is thought to have been inspired by the deadly 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
The courageous educator walked into prom with a huge smile on his face as students cheered him on and hailed him ‘our king’ while Nickleback’s song ‘Hero’ played in the background, a now-viral clip showed.
The emotional clip showed Moore, 60, graciously accepting his new title as students clapped and celebrated their principal.
Dramatic surveillance footage captured the moment he risked his life to take down Hawkings just moments after the suspect pointed a gun at a student in the school’s lobby.
The gunman ordered everyone to get on the ground before attempting to shoot one student, according to investigators.
His weapon was jammed, but after he fixed the malfunction, he fired at another teenager and missed.
Kirk Moore, the principal of Pauls Valley High School, was crowned prom king on Friday night as students cheered him on
Moore has been hailed a hero after he took down suspected school shooter Victor Lee Hawkins on April 7
A pair of students then begged for their lives and were allowed to flee, as others followed suit, before Moore rushed out and tackled Harkins.
Moore, a district employee of 35 years, pinned the shooter to a bench and forced the weapon out of his hand, but was shot in the leg while doing so.
While Hawkins was restrained, a school officer ran over and kicked away the handgun before carrying it back into the office.
Moore was hospitalized and is now ‘healthy and recovering’, authorities said.
Meanwhile, Hawkins was arrested after he admitted he was there that day to kill students, faculty members, Moore, and himself, according to an affidavit obtained by NBC News.
The shooter, an alumnus of the high school, said he ‘did not like’ Moore, prosecutors said.
Hawkins reportedly admitted that he ‘wanted to conduct his own school shooting like the Columbine shooters did,’ referring to the horrible massacre that left 13 students and one teacher dead more than two decades ago.
Moore was shot in the leg while he tried to restrain and disarm the gunman
The shooters, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, opened fire inside the Colorado school before committing suicide.
Hawkins allegedly told officers he went to the school with firearms owned by his father that he took without his permission.
Following the near-tragedy, Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May said that Moore stopped what would have been a massacre.
‘It doesn’t surprise me the actions that he took, but it is amazing, the actions that he took. There’s no doubt in my mind that he saved kids’ lives,’ May stated.
Moore went on to thank the local community for ‘an outpouring of love and support’ in a statement after the terrifying incident.
Hawkins has been 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, charging documents showed.
He remains in custody on a $1 million bail at the Garvin County Detention Center, according to jail records.
Hawkins was arrested after he admitted he was there that day to kill students, faculty members, Moore and himself
Hawkins has been 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, charging documents showed
He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on May 8.
His court-appointed attorney filed a motion on Thursday requesting that a Garvin County judge stop law enforcement officers, attorneys, and court personnel from making public comments related to the case to the media.
They also requested that the judge block evidence from being released to the media and prevent it from being shared online, according to the motion reviewed by News9.
His legal team has argued that the order ensures that there will be a fair trial on all sides.
A court hearing for the gag order is set for May 1.
