Students at an Oklahoma high school crowned their principal prom king on Friday (17 April) after he was shot while confronting and disarming an armed intruder on campus.
Kirk Moore, principal of Pauls Valley High School, received the honour during the school’s prom on Friday night after students voted to recognise his actions during the incident earlier this month.
Video shared on social media showed students cheering as Moore was crowned, entering to the song Hero by Nickelback.
The recognition followed an attack on 7 April, when a gunman entered the school and opened fire.
According to investigators, the suspect, identified in court documents as Victor Lee Hawkins, was armed with two semi-automatic handguns and fired multiple shots inside the building.
A sworn statement from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said the attacker entered the school, pointed a weapon at students and ordered people to get on the ground.
The document said he attempted to shoot a female student, but the gun malfunctioned. He then pointed the weapon at another student before Moore intervened.
The principal was shot in the leg as he charged the attacker and, with the help of another staff member, managed to disarm him. Surveillance footage captured the incident.
Police described the suspect as a former student of the school and said he had expressed an interest in the Columbine High School massacre.
Local officials said Moore’s actions likely prevented a far more serious outcome.
“It is amazing, the actions that he took,” said Don May, chief of the Pauls Valley Police Department.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind that he saved kids’ lives,” May stated.
Moore later said he was grateful for the support he had received following the incident.
“Like so many educators around the country, we prepare for these events through training and careful assessment of the threats,” the principal-turned-hero said.
“I am grateful that my instincts and training, as well as God’s hand, were available to me,” he concluded.
Regional powers gathered in Moscow on Monday for talks on Afghanistan, focusing on security, economic cooperation and Kabul’s relations with ...
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held talks in Tehran on Monday on bilateral ties and efforts t...
Four major German political foundations have halted their work in Georgia as tighter rules on foreign grants put pressure on a decades-old partners...
Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, with Hamid Bovard, chief executive of the state-owned National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), appointed as acting oil minister, according to Iranian state media.
Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will face leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a runoff of the presidential election later this month, after he exceeded expectations in Sunday's first-round vote with a slight lead over the incumbent.
Candidates elected to Bosnia and Herzegovina's three-member presidency declared victory after preliminary unofficial results showed Denis Becirovic leading the Bosniak seat, Darijana Filipovic ahead in the Croat seat and Zeljka Cvijanovic likely retaining the Serb seat.
Uzbekistan’s grape exports have grown rapidly. In January-August 2025, the country exported 86,200 tonnes of fresh grapes worth $78.3 million to 19 countries but can it turn these crops into a recognisable international product?
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States meets seven conditions agreed under a June memorandum, as President Donald Trump signals he may soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 5 October 2026. These are the top five elections making headlines around the world.
The United States has withdrawn all 12 of its B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain, just a week after several people were arrested over an alleged plot targeting the air base.
Australian counterterrorism authorities are examining the links of the co-pilot accused of attacking the captain and attempting to take control of a flydubai flight bound for Israel. Authorities in New Zealand have also said they are investigating reports the suspect had spent time in that country.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called a snap election for 29 November in a bid to strengthen his mandate after a fragmented parliament rejected the government's key housing decrees last week amid widespread protests.
King Charles’ younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, has launched legal action against Thames Valley Police over his arrest in connection with an investigation into documents allegedly passed to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Telegraph reported on Sunday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment