Pauls Valley school shooter wanted another 'Columbine,' affidavit says

The former student who walked into Pauls Valley High School with a gun wanted his own school shooting "like the Columbine shooters did," according to an affidavit filed alongside multiple felony charges.

An Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation special agent filed the affidavit after speaking with Victor Hawkins, 20, who is accused of entering the school with a firearm and attempting to shoot students. The incident was quickly stopped when Principal Kirk Moore and others rushed Hawkins to disarm him.

Moore was shot in the leg during the scuffle and is expected to recover.

Hawkins was charged Wednesday, April 8, in Garvin County District Court over his alleged actions at Pauls Valley High School. He faces 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.

How a school shooting almost turned deadly

After his arrest, Hawkins reportedly told the 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.

Once Hawkins entered the school, according to the 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.

"(The student) put his hands up and asked Hawkins not to shoot him," the affidavit states. "Hawkins lowered his weapon and told (the student) to leave."

Moore heard the gunfire from his office, and he rushed out in an attempt to apprehend Hawkins. During a struggle, Hawkins allegedly fired again, striking Moore in the leg. Moore and the school's assistant principal lay on top of Hawkins until law enforcement arrived.

Affidavit: Suspect wanted his own Columbine-style attack

In the interview with the OSBI special agent, 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," the agent wrote in the affidavit.

The Columbine shooting of April 20, 1999, which happened seven years before Hawkins was born, 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.

Columbine was the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history until the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred in December 2012.

In 2024, though it had been 25 years since the event occurred, The Guardian reported more than 50 shooters were inspired or influenced by the April 19 shooting, claiming almost 300 lives and wounding 500 more.

After the shooting, schools quickly adopted a zero-tolerance policy on weapons, while other schools have inched closer to implementing new security measures with transparent backpacks, metal detectors and security guards or in-school resource officers.

Police training tactics also changed in response to Columbine, specifically relating to misinformation during ongoing situations.

Who is Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore?

Pauls Valley Superintendent Brett Knight praised his high school principal for saving multiple lives.

"I know the word gets thrown around a lot, but he is a hero today," Knight said during a news conference. "I'm thankful that we were prepared for an incident like this to happen, but you certainly never hope that it happens to you or your school."

Moore, 60, was born and raised in Pauls Valley, according to the Pauls Valley Democrat, and has worked in the district for more than 35 years in various roles, including as a teacher, principal, athletic director and coach.

Pauls Valley High School is located about an hour south of the Oklahoma City metro area.

At the same news conference, Pauls Valley Police Chief Don May described the rural community of about 6,200 people as a typical Oklahoma small town.

"Good kids, good community. You certainly don't expect these types of things to happen in your town, but unfortunately, it did today," May said.

Pauls Valley school shooting prompted lockdown, closure

All school sites in the Pauls Valley district were closed on Wednesday, April 8, and counseling will be available to students and staff.

"This is a traumatic experience, and we'll need some time to process that," Knight said.

When asked about the district's procedures to prevent emergencies, Police Chief May lauded the school's preparation.

"Schools do drills, law enforcement does training for active shooter investigations. I personally think, looking in now with the sheriff, Highway Patrol and the school, that training showed today," May said.

Contributing: Nolan Clay, Cheyenne Derksen, The Oklahoman