A student who allegedly brought a gun to his Oregon high school, but was thwarted by a faculty member who is a former football star, pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in court on Monday.
Angel Granados-Diaz, 18, was allegedly armed with a shotgun when he entered a classroom at Parkrose High School on Friday, just one day before the school's prom dance, Portland police said in a statement last week.
Granados-Diaz was charged with possession of a 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.
A judge set his bail at $500,000 and his next court date is set for May 29.
Prosecutors filed a probable cause waiver on Monday and authorities have yet to release information on Granados-Diaz's possible motive.
Keanon Lowe, a former star wide receiver for the University of Oregon Ducks and now a staff member at the school, has been credited for keeping students safe by tackling Diaz to the ground. Lowe is a football coach, a track coach, and a security guard at Parkrose High.
Lowe told "Good Morning America" on Monday that he managed to get the gun away from Diaz and pass it to a teacher while Lowe held down the student with his other hand. Lowe wrapped Diaz in a bear hug until police arrived, he said.
No one was injured.
"I lunged for the gun and we both had the gun, we had four hands on the gun," Lowe recalled. "I'm just trying to make sure the end of the gun isn't pointing toward where the students are running."
Lowe said it was the "longest fraction of a second of my life, but I kind of assessed that situation and my instincts kicked in."
A school parent told "Today" on Saturday that she was thankful Lowe was there to do something.
Despite the scare, Parkrose High School students still attended their prom on Saturday. The school district posted photos of the kids smiling together in dresses and suits to its Facebook account.
Parkrose School District also posted a letter to families on its Facebook account Sunday, detailing what would be done to help students following the Friday incident. The district said it would be implementing increased security and provide counseling support to the high school.
The district also commended the "heroism" on display Friday.
"The reports of staff heroism are true and many staff stepped up and put their lives in front of our students to keep them safe," the district said. "Parkrose High School staff and students were exceptional in their efforts to keep each other safe and follow the emergency training we have in place."
Parkrose School District said it has scheduled a community forum for Tuesday evening at the high school focused on discussing how parents and faculty can help support students to process after the scare.
