A video going viral this weekend captures a rare kind of moment: a whole school coming together to honor the person who risked everything to protect them. At Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma, students crowned their principal, Kirk Moore, as Prom King just two weeks after he tackled and disarmed a gunman who stormed into their school and shot him in the leg.
This all started on April 7, 2026, about an hour south of Oklahoma City. Court records and local news reports indicate that Victor Lee Hawkins, a former student, showed up in the school lobby with two semiautomatic weapons and ordered people to the ground.
He tried to shoot one student, but his gun jammed. He fired at another and missed. That’s when Moore, who has spent 35 years as an educator, burst from a nearby office, charged Hawkins, and brought him down. Even after being shot in the leg, Moore wrestled Hawkins onto a bench, took away his weapons, and held him until help arrived.
Pauls Valley’s police chief, Don May, said there was no question Moore saved lives that day. Court documents say Hawkins told investigators he planned a mass shooting inspired by Columbine, and that he disliked Moore and specifically wanted to kill him.
A few days later, on April 10, Moore released a statement saying he was recovering well and eager to return to work. Meanwhile, Hawkins is pleading not guilty and remains in jail on a $1 million bond.
Now, just two weeks after those terrifying moments, the video making the rounds on social media shows Moore getting called up at prom and crowned by his students. The whole room cheers as they place the crown on his head.
Oklahoma Principal Kirk Moore Being Crowned Prom King Sparks Reactions Online
The clip landed exactly the way most people needed it to. “He deserves all the love he is getting,” one person wrote simply. Others reflected on what the gesture must mean to Moore himself. “While he deserves far more than just this recognition, something tells me this gesture from his students will mean the most to him,” a user commented.
Some zeroed in on the relationship between Moore and the students he protected. “Absolute legend. Love seeing the kids recognize that he did it for them,” one person wrote. The broader emotional weight of the moment was not lost on viewers either. “Seeing people like this and this type of stuff on the internet really just warms my heart especially in these times,” a user commented.
And one person was already looking ahead: “His retirement ceremony is going to be standing room only and it is going to be lit.”
In a news cycle that’s all noise and outrage, this clip stops you in your tracks. It’s a pure, heartfelt moment that shows the real heart of a school community.
