An Oklahoma principal who was shot in the leg while tackling a school shooter on Tuesday was hailed a hero for stopping the gunman and preventing a worse tragedy, officials said.
Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore and other staff spotted the gunman, later identified as 20-year-old former student Victor Hawkins, and immediately jumped into action to subdue him, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).
"The principal of the school had noticed that an adult male subject, 20 years old, had stepped foot into the school with a gun," OSBI spokesperson Hunter McKee told officers responded and arrested Hawkins.
"I know the word gets thrown around quite a bit, but he is a hero today," Pauls Valley Superintendent Brett Knight said of Moore while speaking to reporters at the scene.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also praised Moore the shooting was unclear, officials said.
Hawkins was booked into the Garvin County Jail.
The 20-year-old was charged Wednesday with one count each of shooting with intent to kill and carrying a weapon to a public assembly, and two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm. His bond was set at $1 million.