Pauls Valley School Shooting Suspect Enters Insanity Plea
Pauls Valley School Shooting Suspect Pleads Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
The former Pauls Valley High School student accused of entering the school with two loaded handguns and shooting Principal Kirk Moore has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness or insanity as his case moves toward a 2027 jury trial. Victor Hawkins, 20, entered the plea during his formal arraignment in Garvin County District Court in connection with the April 7, 2026, Pauls Valley school shooting.
Hawkins now faces four amended felony counts, including shooting with intent to kill, two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm and possessing a firearm on school property. The case is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on March 22, 2027, followed by a jury trial beginning April 12. Hawkins remains in custody at the Garvin County Jail.
Pauls Valley School Shooting Case Moves Toward Insanity Defense
The new plea significantly changes the legal questions that could be placed before a jury.
A plea of not guilty by reason of insanity does not simply dispute whether the defendant committed the acts alleged by prosecutors. It raises a separate question about the defendant's mental condition and criminal responsibility at the time of the alleged offenses.
Under Oklahoma law, the state's insanity defense focuses on whether a defendant was incapable of distinguishing right from wrong with respect to the alleged criminal act because of mental illness.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals' official uniform jury instruction for the insanity defense explains that a defendant is presumed sane and that insanity must be established under the legal standard applicable in a criminal case.
A mental illness diagnosis by itself does not automatically establish legal insanity. The legal question concerns the defendant's mental state at the time of the alleged crime and whether it meets Oklahoma's specific standard for criminal responsibility.
Hawkins' defense attorneys have also requested mental health counseling while he remains in custody awaiting trial and sought to move the trial into the next court term.
The current schedule gives both sides several additional months to prepare before the March pretrial hearing and April jury trial.
Principal Kirk Moore Tackled Armed Former Student in School Lobby
The criminal case stems from a shooting that unfolded shortly after 2 p.m. April 7 inside Pauls Valley High School.
Investigators say Hawkins, who graduated from the school in 2025, took two loaded semiautomatic pistols from his father's closet and drove to the high school in his father's truck.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Hawkins entered the school and allegedly pointed a handgun at a female student in the foyer. Investigators said he pulled the trigger, but the firearm did not discharge.
He then allegedly pointed the weapon toward another student.
That was when Principal Kirk Moore ran from his office and confronted Hawkins.
The affidavit says Hawkins fired during the confrontation, striking Moore in the right lower leg. Despite being wounded, Moore continued struggling with Hawkins, wrestled the handgun from him and restrained him on a bench with help from another school administrator until law enforcement arrived.
No students were injured.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation handled the investigation with local law enforcement. Information about the agency's role in major criminal investigations is available through the OSBI Investigative Services Division.
Surveillance video released after the shooting showed Hawkins entering the building and Moore rushing from his office to intervene. Testimony during Hawkins' July preliminary hearing also described students fleeing the lobby as the confrontation unfolded.
Investigators alleged in the original affidavit that Hawkins made statements during an interview after his arrest describing plans to kill students and faculty before killing himself. Those statements are allegations contained in the state's case and have not been established by a jury.
Four Amended Charges Remain Ahead of April 2027 Trial
The charges against Hawkins have changed as the case has moved through the court system.
He was initially booked on multiple firearm-related allegations following the April shooting. During a July 23 preliminary hearing, a student who was in the school lobby testified about seeing Hawkins point a firearm toward students before Moore intervened.
An OSBI investigator also testified about the agency's interview with Hawkins. Following that testimony, prosecutors requested amendments to the charges, including adding intent to kill to the shooting allegation.
Hawkins now faces four amended counts: one count of shooting with intent to kill, two counts of feloniously pointing a firearm and one count involving possession of a firearm on school property.
Oklahoma law separately prohibits firearms and other weapons on school property, with statutory exceptions for certain authorized circumstances. The current language of the state's school property firearms law details those restrictions and potential criminal penalties.
The case has already involved several pretrial legal disputes. Earlier in the proceedings, Hawkins' defense sought restrictions on public comments about the case. A judge denied a proposed gag order but reminded prosecutors, defense attorneys and law enforcement that public statements cannot prejudice Hawkins' right to a fair trial.
The insanity plea now adds another significant issue as the case approaches trial.
The next major proceeding is scheduled for March 22, 2027, with jury selection and trial currently set to begin April 12, 2027.
Until then, Hawkins remains jailed in Garvin County.
The charges against Victor Hawkins are allegations. His plea of not guilty by reason of insanity is not a finding that he was legally insane at the time of the shooting, and he remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Comments