PORTLAND, Ore. – A former college football standout at the University of Oregon was credited Friday with tackling an armed student at a Portland, Oregon, high school before anyone was injured.
Keanon Lowe, a football and track coach and a security guard at Parkrose High School, told reporters as he was leaving a police interview late Friday that he was tired but relieved at the outcome, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
There are no other suspects. Police declined to release the student’s name and said they were still trying to determine if he fired any shots. Police spokesman Sgt. Brad Yakots declined to confirm Lowe’s reported involvement.
“I’m just happy everyone was OK,” Lowe said as he walked out of the school about four hours after the incident, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive. “I’m happy I was able to be there for the kids and for the community.”
Lowe didn’t reply to messages sent on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Parkrose School District Superintendent Michael Lopes Serrao said in a letter to families Friday evening that before the incident two students had informed a staff member of “concerning behavior” by that student.
Security staff then responded, found the student and quickly disarmed him, he said.
“Thanks to their heroic efforts all students and staff are safe,” Lopes Serrao wrote.
Yakots, the police spokesman, said the first responding officers found the gunman being detained by the staff member in the hallway. A firearm was recovered at the school, he added.
