Ex-football star halts armed student at Oregon school

PORTLAND, Ore. — A former college football standout at the University of Oregon was credited with tackling an armed student at a Portland high school before anyone was injured.

The Portland Police Bureau said Saturday that Angel Granados Dias, 18, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on suspicion of possessing a firearm in a public building, attempting to shoot a gun at a school and reckless endangerment. Authorities said he is a student at Parkrose High School, where he brought the shotgun Friday.

Keanon Lowe, a football and track coach and a security guard at Parkrose, said late Friday that he was relieved at the outcome, the Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

“I’m just happy everyone was OK,” Lowe said. “I’m happy I was able to be there for the kids and for the community.”

Parkrose School District Superintendent Michael Lopes Serrao said in a letter to families Friday night that before the incident two students had informed a staff member of “concerning behavior” by the suspect.

Security staff then responded, found the student and quickly disarmed him, he said. “Thanks to their heroic efforts all students and staff are safe,” Lopes Serrao wrote.

Police spokesman Sgt. Brad Yakots said the first responding officers found the gunman being detained by a staff member in the hallway. A firearm was recovered at the school.

Parkrose was evacuated and a nearby middle school was on lockdown for several hours as the investigation unfolded. The high school students were bused to a nearby parking lot where they were reunited with their parents.

The outcome was “the best-case scenario, absolutely,” Yakots said. “The staff member did an excellent job by all accounts, (and) our officers arrived within minutes and went right in.”

Students...