Oregon: CCTV footage shows school coach tackling gun-wielding student

Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon, football coach Keanon Lowe is again in the spotlight for his courageous act nearly seven months after he tackled a gun-wielding student. A CCTV footage of the incident which was released recently showed how Lowe who also works as the school's track coach-cum security guard tackled the teenager who was allegedly going to commit suicide. The incident occurred on May 17 this year when Angel Granados Dias, the then 18-year-old student, entered his class and pulled out a loaded shotgun from the long black coat he was wearing. When the students rushed out of the classroom, Lowe tackled Dias and disarmed him.

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Lowe can be seen pulling Dias into a corridor

In the CCTV footage, Lowe can be seen pulling Dias into a corridor and hugging him. While he tries to calm down the teen, Lowe passes the weapon off to another man who rushes towards them to help. The student tries to break away from his teacher's grip but Lowe can be holding him tightly while whispering something into his ears. Lowe said that he saw the teen's face, looked into his eyes, and realized that it was a real gun and then his instincts took over to help the teen. Lowe was praised across the country for his brave act and fortunately, no shots were fired that day in May. Granados-Dias was allegedly trying to commit suicide for months after he broke up with his girlfriend, according to his friends and classmates who had told a local news channel. His defense lawyer told his judge last week that he had planned to commit suicide at school so that his mother would not be able to discover his body. According to the reports submitted by the district attorney, the school authorized Granados-Diaz’s troubled state of mind and suicidal statements.

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Lowe has described the incident an emotional

Lowe has described the incident as emotional. He said that he felt compassion for the child and added that a lot of times when we are young we do not realize what we are doing until it is over. In a  tweet, Lowe said that he wanted to be a part of the solution to school gun violence. He also wrote on Twitter that he is blessed to be alive and extremely happy that the students are safe.
The school was immediately evacuated after the incident and a nearby school was on lockdown for several hours till the investigation was carried out. Granados-Diaz, now 19, pleaded guilty last week to unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in public, the district attorney said in a statement. He was sentenced to 36 months of probation period which includes mental health and substance abuse treatment.

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