(WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The tragedy in Uvelde, Texas added to the list of shootings at schools across the U.S. But three years ago, the courage and kindness of a high school coach prevented that list from being even longer.
Keanon Lowe told WBBM about the day in 2019 when, while head football coach and security guard at Parkrose High School in Portland, a student walked in with a gun.
"That day was a surreal day for me personally and for our school and our community. There I was, as soon as he opened the door, I was probably three to four feet away from the door when he opened it, and he pulled out a shotgun and thankfully I was there. I like to say I was there for a reason, I was there to put out that fire and I wrestled the shotgun away," said Lowe.
And then, what happened next, made Lowe even more famous, and more of a hero.
"...And I ended up getting rid of the gun to another teacher and I ended up giving him a hug and kind of holding him there and giving him some love before he got taken away. So it was a surreal day," added Lowe.
Lowe wrote about that day that was surreal but, thankfully, not tragic, in his new book, “HOMETOWN VICTORY: A Coach’s Story of Football, Fate, and Coming Home."
He said one of the things he hopes people take away from the book is that you don't always have to be brave to be a hero. Maybe you just have to listen.
"This book sheds a lot of perspective. It sheds perspective on what maybe kids are going through....I do believe that everyone is fighting a battle within themselves that no one else knows about," Lowe said.
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