Keanon Lowe.Photo: Oregon/Collegiate Images/Getty Images
When a student walked into Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon, with a shotgun on Friday, football coach Keanon Lowe did not hesitate to protect his students.
Lowe — a former San Francisco 49ers offensive analyst who now works at Parkrose as the security guard as well as the head football and track and field coach — heroically tackled the potential shooter to the ground,The Oregonianreported.
“I’m just happy everyone was OK,” Lowe said as he walked out of the school after the incident, according toThe Oregonian. “I’m happy I was able to be there for the kids and for the community.”
No one was hurt in the incident, and the suspect is now in police custody,USA Todayreported.
Dias appeared at his government class wearing a trench coat and pulled out the gun, but witnesses say he wasn’t pointing it at anyone, according toThe Oregonian. Senior Alexa Pope, 17, who was in the class, told the outlet that some students began to run.
“As I was running, I was just like, ‘Lord don’t let this be it,’ ” Pope said.
That’s when Lowe took Dias down in the hallway and disarmed him before turning him over to the authorities.
Lowe, who played football in college as a star wide receiver at the University of Oregon from 2011-14, went on work as an offensive analyst for the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles before coming to work at Parkrose.
On Saturday, the former college football staropened up on Twittera day after his heroism.
“When I signed up to be a Security Guard, Football and Track & Field Coach for Parkrose High School, I did so to guide and coach young people whose shoes I had once been in,” Lowe wrote. “I had no idea, that I would one day have to put my life on the line like I did yesterday for my students.”
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“When confronted with the test the universe presented me with, I didn’t see any other choice but to act. Thank God, I passed. I’ve spent the last 24 hours being more appreciative of my family and realizing we have a serious problem,” he added.
Lowe concluded: “I’m blessed to be alive and extremely happy that the students are safe. I’m not sure what’s next, I haven’t had the time to really think about it. But I am sure I want to be a part of the solution to school gun violence. Thank you @PortlandPolice for your help #ParkroseHighSchool.”
source: people.com
