Victor Hawkins former student at Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma City walks into school with loaded gun firing shots wanting to commit his own Columbine school massacre only to be preempted by Principal Kirk Moore who likely saved multiple lives.
A former student allegedly walked into an Oklahoma City area school carrying a loaded firearm in which the would be shooter claimed wanting another Columbine mass school shooting.
Victor Hawkins, 20, is alleged to have gone to his former high school, Pauls Valley High School on April 7, 2026, carrying a loaded firearm.
The would be shooter posed an immediate threat to students and staff according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI). Hawkins now faces various felony charges following his arrest following a Wednesday arraignment.
Former student at OKC area school returns with loaded gun
Principal Kirk Moore, 60, quickly confronted Hawkins to stop him from moving further into the building. During the encounter, Hawkins fired several shots, and Moore was struck in the leg. He was hospitalized at OU Health in Oklahoma City and is reported to be in stable condition. No students were harmed according to police.
Law enforcement, including the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, responded shortly after the shooting was reported. Hawkins was taken into custody at the scene without further incident, and authorities confirmed that the school was secure and all students were accounted for.
In the aftermath, the school was placed on lockdown, and classes were canceled the following day. Counseling and support services were offered to students and staff affected by the incident.
Pauls Valley high school principal hailed hero for saving countless lives
During questioning, Hawkins allegedly told OSBI that he went to the high school with the intention of killing students, faculty and himself. Hawkins said that on Tuesday, April 7, he took two of his father’s guns and his pickup, then drove to the school according to the Oklahoman.
Once Hawkins entered the school, according to a criminal affidavit, he pointed a pistol and yelled for everyone to get on the ground. The court document describes how Hawkins then pointed the pistol at a student and pulled the trigger, but the gun had a malfunction and didn’t fire.
Hawkins took cover behind a vending machine to clear the malfunction and stepped back out, pointing the gun at another student. He allegedly discharged the pistol but did not hit anyone.
It was then that Principal Kirk Moore entered the classroom only for Hawkins to shoot the educator in the leg. The student was disarmed after the principal and students rushing at the would be shooter.
The principal was later praised for saving the lives of countless students.
Copy cat would be Columbine High School shooter
During questioning, Hawkins reportedly said that he wanted to emulate one of America’s most notorious mass school shootings, the Columbine High School massacre.
‘Hawkins wanted to conduct his own school shooting like the Columbine shooters did,’ an OSBI agent wrote in the affidavit.
The Columbine shooting of April 20, 1999, resulted in the deaths of 14 people and ushered in a wave of both copycat shootings and school safety precautions. The perpetrators also died in the attack.
Officials had yet to say why Hawkins had specifically returned to his former school and commit a mass shooting and what may have happened at the school when the suspect previously attended the school.
Appearing in court on Wednesday via video conference, Hawkins was charged with a felony count of shooting with intent to kill, two felony counts of pointing a firearm and two misdemeanor counts of carrying a weapon into a public assembly. Bond was issued at $1M.
In 2024, The Guardian reported more than 50 shooters were inspired or influenced by the 1999 Columbine shooting, claiming almost 300 lives and wounding 500 more.
Pauls Valley High School is located about an hour south of the Oklahoma City metro area.
