Trending Now - Oklahoma Principal Recalls Confronting Gunman Amid Chaos
WHO:
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Kirk Moore, principal of Pauls Valley High School
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Victor Hawkins, 20-year-old former student and gunman
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - First responders, including a MediFlight nurse and police officers who were former students of Moore
WHAT:
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Kirk Moore stated, "It was a typical day until the gunshot outside of my office," reflecting on the moment the shooting began.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore described his actions during the incident as "just instinct," emphasizing that training and drills "all goes out the window."
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore mentioned he felt "the warmth of the blood" after realizing he had been shot.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore received thank you letters from around the world, including one from a family who lost a child in a school shooting, which stated, "We are writing to honor your extraordinary valor when violence threatened the lives of those entrusted to your care, you did not hesitate."
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore reacted to the donations to the "Principal Kirk Moore Fund," saying, "It's gonna be money that will be a graduation gift for kids that stuck it out."
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Kirk Moore tackled a gunman who entered the school, preventing harm to students and faculty.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore was shot during the incident but did not initially realize it.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - More than $20,000 was donated to a GoFundMe page for Moore, which he redirected to the "Principal Kirk Moore Fund" at the high school.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Companies including Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, OERB, The People of Oklahoma Oil and Natural Gas, and Hobby Lobby donated a total of $50,000 to the "Principal Kirk Moore Fund."
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Hawkins is facing multiple charges, including shooting with intent to kill, and has pleaded not guilty.
WHERE:
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Pauls Valley High School, Oklahoma
WHEN:
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - The school shooting incident occurred last month.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore was honored by students at Pauls Valley High School, being crowned this year's prom king.
WHY:
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore expressed a sense of compassion for Hawkins, stating, "I feel like we need to pray for that kid as much as we pray for anybody," indicating he believes Hawkins was "just in a bad spot at that time."
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore described his actions as instinctual, stating, "That all goes out the window" during the crisis.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - A family who lost a child in a school shooting wrote to Moore to honor his valor, indicating the impact of his actions on preventing further tragedy.
HOW:
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore was comforted by familiar faces of first responders, including his MediFlight nurse and former students who were police officers and firemen.
[11:05 AM EDT] - CBS News - Moore tackled the gunman and fell on a padded bench area, where Hawkins began shooting into the floor.
(UPDATED May 12, 2026 01:31 UTC)
Kirk Moore described the moment a shooting began outside his office as a typical day turned chaotic, where his instinct took over despite his training going out the window. After realizing he had been shot, he felt "the warmth of the blood," but was later uplifted by thank you letters from around the world, including one from a family affected by a school shooting, honoring his bravery. Moore expressed compassion for the shooter, stating, "I feel like we need to pray for that kid as much as we pray for anybody," and found comfort in the presence of familiar first responders, including his MediFlight nurse and former students who are now police officers and firemen.
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(UPDATED May 11, 2026 15:58 UTC)
In a heroic act at Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma, Principal Kirk Moore tackled a gunman, Victor Hawkins, who had entered the school, preventing further harm to students and faculty, though he was shot in the process without initially realizing it. Following the incident, more than $20,000 was raised for Moore through a GoFundMe page, which he redirected to the "Principal Kirk Moore Fund," and several companies contributed an additional $50,000 to support the fund. Hawkins, who has pleaded not guilty, is facing multiple charges, including shooting with intent to kill, while Moore was honored by students at the school, being crowned this year's prom king.