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Former Oregon football player, and coaching assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles — during the Chip Kelly era — and San Francisco 49ers, Keanon Lowe acted heroically last week, potentially saving lives.
After his stint in the NFL, Lowe became a high school football coach at Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon, where he also acted a security guard. On Friday, he put his life on the line when he tackled a student with a gun before any shots were fired or any harm was done, and was able to hold the student until police arrived.
When confronted with the test the universe presented me with, I didn't see any other choice but to act. Thank God, I passed. I've spent the last 24 hours being more appreciative of my family and realizing we have a serious problem.
— Keanon Lowe (@KeanonLowe) May 18, 2019
I'm blessed to be alive and extremely happy that the students are safe. I'm not sure what's next, I haven't had the time to really think about it. But I am sure I want to be a part of the solution to school gun violence. Thank you @PortlandPolice for your help #ParkroseHighSchool
— Keanon Lowe (@KeanonLowe) May 18, 2019
He spoke with Good Morning America on Sunday morning, and went into more detail about the whole situation. According to Yahoo Sports, Lowe recounted:
“I walk into a classroom, ask if the student’s there. I’m in the classroom there for 15 or 20 seconds and the door opens and there is a student with a shotgun,” Lowe told “GMA.” “Everything happened so fast and it was the longest fraction of a second of my life, but I kind of assessed that situation and my instincts kicked in.
”I lunged for the gun and we both had the gun, we had four hands on the gun. Students are running out of the back of the classroom and I’m just trying to make sure the end of the gun isn’t pointing toward where the students are running.”
It was reported, according to police, that the high school student has been charged with, “possession of firearm in a public building, attempting to discharge a firearm at a school, reckless endangerment, and possession of a loaded firearm in a public place”.
Lowe also told GMA that he doesn’t know if his perspective has changed, according to Yahoo Sports:
“It just seems more real for me now that I was placed in that situation and really faced with that terror and saw the kids’ faces and saw how scared the whole school and community was.”
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“It feels great [to be called a hero],” Lowe told “GMA.” “But I feel like I was put in that room for a reason. He didn’t know I was in that room when he opened the door and I think there’s things in my life that have happened that have prepared me for that very moment.”
Lowe acted selflessly, and while he doesn’t know exactly what’s next for him, his actions will resonate within the community for a long time.