Keanon Lowe, Coach Who Disarmed And Embraced Student, Will Receive The Congressional Medal Of Honor

Keanon Lowe, a 27-year-old high school football coach and former Oregon wide receiver, made headlines on May 17 of 2019 when he bravely stopped a school shooting and likely saved the lives of many students and staff members. Lowe approached a gun-wielding student, disarmed him, and then hugged him. He will now receive a Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery, according to Tank’s Good News.

The video of Lowe’s courageous act quickly went viral. As seen in the astounding security footage, then 18-year-old Angel Granados-Diaz made his way to the fine arts building at Parkrose High School with a rifle under his coat. He was intercepted by Lowe, who also served as a security guard for the school. Upon realizing the gun was, in fact, real, Lowe wrestled the firearm away from him while students ran from their classrooms towards shelter, as USA Today reported.

Rather than tackling Granados-Diaz to the floor as many in his position may have done, Lowe took a different approach. He wrapped him up in a bear hug and told the student how much he cared about him. Surprisingly, Granados-Diaz returned the embrace.

When asked why he behaved the way he did, Lowe explained that he had compassion for the shooter.

“Then it was just me and that student. It was a real emotional time. In that time, 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,” Lowe had said of Granados-Diaz at the time.

The Congressional Medal of Honor that Lowe will receive recognizes those that “exemplify the values embodied in the Medal of Honor: courage, sacrifice, commitment, integrity, citizenship, and patriotism.”

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society noted that Lowe will receive the prestigious Single Act of Heroism award for how he conducted himself on May 17 of 2019.

“[He 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,” the society said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Granados-Diaz pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm in a public building and one count of unlawful possession of a loaded firearm in public. He was sentenced to three years of probation and mental health treatment.

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Lowe is among other brave individuals who risked their own lives for the protection of students. Angela McQueen, a teacher in Central Illinois, infamously stopped a school shooter by tackling them after they fired several rounds at students.