The April 7 shooting in Pauls Valley left Principal Kirk Moore wounded and a former student jailed as the case moved deeper into court.
PAULS VALLEY, Okla. — Newly released school surveillance video shows Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore rushing an armed former student in the lobby on April 7, a confrontation that left Moore wounded in the leg and set off a fast-moving criminal case.
The footage matters now because it gives the clearest public view yet of how quickly the shooting unfolded in this town of about 6,000 people south of Oklahoma City. Investigators say Victor Hawkins, 20, entered the school intending to kill students, faculty members and himself, while district leaders say Moore and other employees kept the attack from becoming far worse. Hawkins remains jailed as prosecutors move ahead with felony counts and a May 8 court hearing.
Authorities say the shooting began at about 2:20 p.m. when Hawkins, a former Pauls Valley student, entered the high school lobby with a firearm while students were nearby. Video released Tuesday appears to show him move through the foyer, point the weapon and then turn as Moore runs from his office. The two slam into a bench, and another staff member joins the struggle and helps pull the gun away. Moore was shot in the right lower leg during the fight, but no student was hit. Hunter McKee, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said staff members stepped in almost at once. “The actions of the staff and the principal stepping in as soon as they saw a subject with a firearm saved lives,” McKee said after the shooting. Officers took Hawkins into custody at the scene within minutes.
A probable cause affidavit described a fuller sequence than the video alone shows. According to court records summarized by local stations, Hawkins carried two loaded semiautomatic pistols into the building after taking them and his father’s truck from home. The affidavit says he told people to get on the ground, pointed a gun at one student and tried to fire, but the weapon did not go off. Investigators said he then worked to clear the malfunction, pointed the gun at another student and later fired during the struggle with Moore. The affidavit also says Hawkins told agents he wanted to carry out a school shooting modeled on the 1999 Columbine attack and that he also wanted to kill Moore because he did not like him. Authorities have not publicly said whether Hawkins had recent contact with the school before April 7, or whether anyone else knew he was headed there armed.
The shooting landed hard in Pauls Valley, where the school district and many families know one another well and where violence inside a campus lobby is unusual enough to shake the entire community at once. Classes were canceled the next day, and the district kept schools closed on Thursday while employees met to plan for students’ return. Counselors were made available as families absorbed what had happened in a front entry area that normally serves as a routine gathering place for students and visitors. Superintendent Brett Knight said in a message to families that student and staff safety remained the district’s top priority and that many people were feeling anxiety, worry and fear after the attack. Knight also said Moore was recovering at home. In a statement issued the day of the shooting, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Moore “acted bravely to protect students’ lives” and said he was grateful that no students were harmed.
The legal case moved quickly after Hawkins’ arrest, though public descriptions of the counts have varied slightly across early reports. Law enforcement initially said he was booked on one count of shooting with intent to kill, two counts of pointing a firearm and two counts of unlawful carry. Later reporting on the filed case described the matter as including shooting with intent to kill, firearm-pointing counts and carrying a weapon into a public assembly. Public summaries reviewed Tuesday did not fully explain the wording differences, but all described Hawkins as jailed on a $1 million bond. During a video arraignment on April 8, local stations reported, Hawkins had a court-appointed lawyer and told a judge he intended to go inside the school to shoot students, faculty members and then himself. His next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. May 8 in Garvin County.
The surveillance clip is striking because the first seconds look ordinary. Students sit in the lobby, chairs and benches are in place and nothing appears out of rhythm until a former student walks in holding a pistol. Then the calm breaks almost instantly. Moore does not wait for a long standoff. He rushes from his office within seconds, collides with Hawkins near a bench and stays in the fight until help arrives. Another staff member is visible helping disarm him, and district officials have also praised other employees who moved in to assist. Knight said after the shooting that Moore was the kind of leader who would put himself between students and danger. Video released through an open records request has sharpened that public picture, but some questions remain unsettled. The footage appears to show someone opening a door before Hawkins enters. Investigators have said they do not believe that person was working with him, and they have not publicly identified whether that person was a student or a staff member.
As of April 14, Moore was recovering, the district was still measuring how to reopen after the shock and Hawkins was awaiting his May 8 hearing as investigators continued reviewing video, witness statements and the affidavit that now anchors the case.
Author note: Last updated April 14, 2026.