Dramatic Moment Oregon High School Football Coach Disarms Student With Gun on Campus Captured on Film – By Tareq Haddad (Newsweek) / Oct 19 2019
The dramatic moment an Oregon high school student armed with a shotgun was disarmed by a football coach has been captured on film.
The security footage, acquired by KOIN 6 News, shows 18 year old Angel Granados-Diaz walking into a hallway in Parkrose High School in Portland with the loaded shotgun, concealing it in what appears to be a large bag or blanket.
Granados-Diaz can then be seen entering a room where the shotgun was removed and where the teenager seemingly prepared an attack.
Seconds later, the student can be seen entering a different doorway with the gun in hand and terrified students are seen fleeing away.
Gunman Angel Granados-Diaz enters a hallway at Parkrose High School with the shot gun concealed. https://t.co/8jiwecCjg6 pic.twitter.com/TjwJRhy59y
— Dan Tilkin (@DanTilkinNews) October 19, 2019
Security footage from another camera shows the moment football coach Keanon Lowe disarms Granados-Diaz, before hugging him in a long embrace. Lowe had been called to the fine arts building to get a student before the incident took place.
“I walk in there, I get to the classroom, I’m in the classroom for 15, 20 seconds—you know, I ask the teacher, ‘Is the student here?'”
Granados-Diaz was reportedly only several steps away with the shotgun tucked under his coat.
Lowe said: “The door opens, I’m within arm’s length of the door, about 3 feet away from the door, and there’s a kid with a gun, a shotgun.
“In a fraction of a second, I analyzed everything really fast.
“I saw the look in his face, look in his eyes, looked at the gun, realized it was a real gun and then my instincts just took over.”
Lowe told KOIN 6 News running away never crossed his mind.
“I lunged for the gun, put two hands on the gun. He had his two hands on the gun and obviously the kids are running out of the classroom and screaming.”
The dramatic moment Parkrose High School football coach Keanon Lowe disarmed 18-year-old Angel Granados-Diaz after he came to the Oregon school armed with a shotgun.
Dan Tilkin/KOIN6 News
The football coach told the news outlet that he objected to being called a hero, but said maybe his presence was down to fate.
“I think the universe works in amazing ways,” he said.
“I think I’ve gone through stuff in my life that prepared me for that moment and I’m lucky and I’m happy that I was in that classroom for those kids and I was able to prevent that tragedy.
“I don’t know if ‘hero’ is the right word but the universe works in mysterious ways and I was meant to be in that classroom and I was meant to stop a tragedy.”
After tacking the shotgun away from Granadoz-Diaz, another teacher can be seen walking towards the two to remove the firearm.
Police searched the hallways of Parkrose high school for the gunman. Coach Keanon Lowe had already taken the gun away https://t.co/Dxw1oA44tb pic.twitter.com/clXBs4M8nl
— Dan Tilkin (@DanTilkinNews) October 19, 2019
Lowe can then be seen talking to the student while another teacher called police.
“I felt compassion for the kid, to be honest,” Lowe said.
“I had a real-life conversation. Obviously, he broke down and I just wanted to let him know that I was there for him.
“I told him I was there to save him—I was there for a reason and that this is a life worth living.”
Following the ordeal which took place on May 17, Granados-Diaz, now aged 19, pleaded guilty to gun charges on October 10.
