US: Principal shot while protecting students from gunman

A high school principal in Oklahoma was shot in the leg Tuesday after confronting a man who entered the school with a gun, authorities said.

Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore is in stable condition, and no students were injured in the shooting, according to authorities. The suspect, a 20-year-old former student, was taken into custody, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Hunter McKee told reporters outside the school.

Moore and other staff members quickly confronted the former student after they noticed he entered the school with a gun, McKee said.

"The subject was able to fire multiple rounds, where the principal was hurt, but no one else was," McKee said. "The actions of the staff and the principal stepping in as soon as they saw a subject with a firearm saved lives today." Oklahoma Gov Kevin Stitt said Moore "acted bravely to protect students' lives" and that he and his wife were praying for his quick recovery.

"I'm thankful for the swift response from law enforcement and school staff, and I'm grateful no students were harmed," he said in a post on the social platform X. Pauls Valley is a community of about 6,000 people, 60 miles (96 km) south of Oklahoma City.