Man accused of trying to carry out mass shooting at Oklahoma school pleads not guilty
By Dacoda Wahpekeche
Click here for updates on this story
GARVIN COUNTY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A man accused of trying to carry out a mass shooting at Pauls Valley High School earlier this year has pleaded not guilty due to mental illness.
Victor Hawkins appeared in court Monday in Garvin County, facing multiple charges including shooting with intent to kill. He remains in jail until he faces a jury trial in the spring of 2027.
A judge asked if Hawkins appeared mentally competent, to which the suspect answered yes. The judge also acknowledged that Hawkins has a history of mental illness.
Hawkins did not say anything during his arraignment, but he told his mother that he loved her. After the hearing, Hawkins’ mother and Pauls Valley High School principal Kirk Moore, who stopped the attempted shooting in April, hugged each other.
Learn more about the case below.
Pauls Valley school shooting stopped A video showed Hawkins, a former Pauls Valley High School student, pointing and firing a gun before slowly walking into the school lobby on April 7. Investigators told KOCO 5 that the gun jammed.
The principal then rushed at Hawkins from the side, tackling him, and stopping the planned school shooting. Moore was shot, and he was briefly hospitalized before being released.
Suspect arrest Hawkins was arrested shortly after the shooting and was booked into the Garvin County Jail on two counts of pointing a firearm, one count of shooting with intent to kill, and two counts of unlawful carry.
Court documents state that Hawkins intended to commit a mass shooting at the school and admitted that he was influenced by the Columbine school shooting. During an arraignment earlier this year, Hawkins told a judge he had every intention of going inside the school to shoot students, faculty, and then himself.
No gag order Earlier this year, a Garvin County judge decided against issuing a gag order in Hawkins’ case.
The decision came after a state-appointed attorney argued that the news media’s First Amendment rights could have violated Hawkins’ Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial. The attorney requested the gag order to prevent law enforcement from releasing information about the case.
The judge denied the request but urged law enforcement to limit public comment on the case, saying she did not see any violations of Hawkins’ rights.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.