The coach who managed to disarm a student with a shotgun before giving him a hug is set to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor’s civilian award almost one year after his heroic acts.
Mr. Lowe, who worked as a football coach at Parkrose High School in Portland, calmed a distraught 18-year-old student who walked onto campus with a shotgun.
In a statement, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society said: “(Mr. Lowe was) selected for his courageous act when he disarmed a student with a loaded shotgun during an incident at Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon.
“Mr. Lowe is attributed with saving the lives of the students and faculty of Parkrose High school.”
There were only six people to receive the Citizen Honor Award this year.
In the Single Act of Heroism category, Mr. Lowe will share the honor with Riley Howell, who passed away while protecting students from a gunman during a shooting incident at the University of North Carolina.
Recalling the terrifying incident, Mr. Lowe said he knew he had to act fast to ensure the safety of students and faculty.
He told KOIN 6 News at that time: “The door opens — I’m within arm’s length of the door, about three feet away from the door, and there’s a kid with a gun, a shotgun.
“In a fraction of a second, I analyzed everything really fast. I saw the look in his face, look in his eyes, looked at the gun, realized it was a real gun and then my instincts just took over.”
He continued: “I lunged for the gun, put two hands on the gun. He had his two hands on the gun and obviously, the kids are running out of the classroom and screaming.
“I felt compassion for him; a lot of times, especially when you’re young, you don’t realize what you’re doing until it’s over.”
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