Coach Disarmed Student, Showed Him 'Compassion'

Keanon Lowe confronts the student in newly released surveillance video
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 19, 2019 4:40 PM CDT

Surveillance video of an armed student shows how he was treated after being disarmed: with a hug. Keanon Lowe, a football coach and security guard at Parkrose High School in Portland, Oregon, garnered media attention after disarming Angel Granados-Diaz at the school in May. Now video obtained by KOIN through a public records request shows that Lowe immediately handed the shotgun to someone else and gave Granados-Diaz a long hug, holding him even when the student tried to pull away. Students were screaming and running out of a classroom as the two embraced. "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 said.

Granados-Diaz, who was 18 at the time, was sentenced to 36 months of probation and give substance abuse and mental health treatment, per NBC News. "Through the course of the investigation it became clear ... that Mr. Granados-Diaz did not have the intent to hurt anyone other than himself while at Parkrose High School," says Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Parakram Singh. Investigators say the boy had been suicidal for months and made suicidal remarks that day to a student, who reported them to school administrators. That's when Lowe was sent to find Granados-Diaz, who tried unsuccessfully to shoot himself before Lowe grabbed the shotgun. Anyone considering suicide is urged to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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