In May a student at Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon walked into a classroom wearing a black trench coat and carrying a shotgun. But before he could open fire, he was disarmed by the school’s track coach who also doubled as a security guard.
Parents and students reported Coach Keanon Lowe, one of Oregon’s most prominent high school and college football players of the past decade, took the armed male student to the ground.
Lowe, also Parkrose’s head track and field coach, works as a security guard at the school, several people said.
“I’m just happy everyone was OK,” Lowe said as he walked out of the school’s fine arts building into a school parking lot shortly after police had cleared the school and talked to witnesses. “I’m happy I was able to be there for the kids and for the community.”
Now the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office has released security video of Lowe disarming the would-be shooter.
Breaking News: video of Coach Keanon Lowe disarming Parkrose High School gunman Angel Granados-Diaz. More to come. pic.twitter.com/d7wK9ES6zi
— Dan Tilkin (@DanTilkinKOIN6) October 19, 2019
The student with the gun reportedly wanted to commit suicide.
The video shows Lowe walk into a hallway in the school, holding the gun in one hand and keeping his other arm wrapped around Granados-Diaz. He hands the weapon off to another male, then wraps both arms around Granados-Diaz in a bear hug. He appears to comfort the teen, who eventually touches Lowe’s face, then embraces the coach as Lowe hugs him and pats him on the back.
Granados-Diaz hadn’t wanted to kill himself at home, where his mother would find his body, so he went to the school to do it, authorities said. His lawyer said the teen had been in a school bathroom and thought about ending his life there but decided to go into the classroom instead so someone would call 911 immediately after he fired.
Classmates and friends said Granados-Diaz, who was a Parkrose High senior, had been sad and lonely after a breakup with his girlfriend.
As the Oregonian reports . . .
Granados-Diaz pleaded guilty to felony possession of a firearm in a public building and misdemeanor possession of a loaded firearm in public. On Thursday, he was sentenced to three years of probation and any mental health treatment that he needs.