Former Oregon Ducks wide receiver Keanon Lowe was hailed as a hero in May for his role in disarming a teen at Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon, where Lowe worked as a security guard.
How he did it is a lesson in compassion.
Newly released surveillance footage shows Lowe — a football and track coach at the school — hugging Angel Granados-Diaz, who was 18 at the time, after he took a shotgun to school on May 17. In the video, Lowe is seen passing the gun to a teacher and embracing Granados-Diaz in a hug before authorities arrived and placed Granados-Diaz in handcuffs. No one was hurt.
“I just wanted to let him know that I was there for him. I told him I was there to save him. I was there for a reason, and that this is a life worth living,” Lowe told reporters in May, per NBC News. “The universe works in amazing ways. I’m lucky and I’m happy that I was in that classroom for all those kids and I was able to prevent that tragedy.”
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
Prosecutors and Granados-Diaz’s attorney said that the former student went to the school to commit suicide. This month, Granados-Diaz pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in a public building and possession of a loaded firearm in public. After a plea agreement, Granados-Diaz received 36 months of probation and will undergo substance abuse and mental health treatment.
Lowe, an Oregon native, played for the Ducks until 2014. He began his coaching career as an offensive analyst on Chip Kelly’s staffs with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 and the San Francisco 49ers the next season.
