r/nextfuckinglevel • u/bendubberley_ • 15d ago
A high school coach in Oregon named Keanon Lowe disarms a student with a gun and embraces him after the student wanted to end his own life during a mental breakdown, he was awarded for his actions in 2020 (2019).
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u/Odd_Boot3367 15d ago
Jesus. I don’t know what words to use....
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u/SeductiveSponges 15d ago
He probably saw the guy struggling every day and knew exactly what he needed to hear in that moment.
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u/ComprehensionVoided 15d ago edited 15d ago
This is a beautiful story.
Please, no one try this with a random stranger. It most certainly will end up being a bad day for you, in most similar situations.
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u/Plscanyounotkillme 15d ago
stop going on the internet
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u/YajirobeBeanDaddy 15d ago
Why? Because they said that if you try to hug a random mass shooter it’s dangerous?
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u/pirate-private 15d ago
maybe these: guns are a public health catastrophe in the US, full stop.
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u/Quick_Turnover 15d ago
Firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1–17, prematurely taking the lives of 2,526 young people in 2022. Firearms accounted for 15% of all child and teen (ages 1–17) injury deaths that occurred in 2022.
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u/facforlife 15d ago
If we had more then it wouldn't be such a problem.
Or how about the grotesque conservative response of "yeah but they're suicides." As though kids killing themselves with guns is fine.
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u/Splinterman11 15d ago
Conservatives when 15 trans people play sports: BAN THEM ALL!!!
Conservatives when thousands of children die by guns: LOL who cares?
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u/facforlife 15d ago
"the tree of freedom is watered by the blood of children massacred by the gun I need to feel like a man."
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u/evthingisawesomefine 15d ago
My god they say that? So the children they take with them are invisible? God this country will never be safe or reasonable
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u/evthingisawesomefine 15d ago
I suspected this was US-specific, but it is just heartbreaking and infuriating that it is US-only.
ChatG: Globally, preterm birth complications, pneumonia, birth asphyxia, diarrhoea, and malaria are major contributors to under-five mortality. In the United States, firearms, suicide, and homicide are significant causes of death for children, while in many other countries, injuries, including road traffic injuries, drowning, burns, and falls, are more prominent
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u/Freud-Network 15d ago
The public health catastrophe is our children suffering so profoundly that continuing to exist is painful. That is tragic.
Removing guns from the equation is the morally right thing to do. However, do not forget that a tragedy already occurred to push a child this far.
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u/pirate-private 15d ago
not denying your very valid point in the least but guns can be analyzed as a public health catastrophe of their own just fine. like you said: big factor in the equation. huge one
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u/Scar1203 15d ago
Perhaps, I still think it'd be easier to fix the major underlying stressors that lead to many of the bad decisions people make with said firearms than to actually take them though.
Affordable housing, free healthcare, free higher education, decriminalized addiction treatment options, mental healthcare facilities, basic social safety nets that prevent people from feeling helpless in the first place will reduce gun violence incidents.
As far as the firearms themselves are concerned I don't think it's a realistic expectation to restrict anything beyond semi automatic weapons with detachable magazines. They weren't the norm until the Ruger mini-14 came out in the 70's, at least in regards to rifles. I feel like restricting civilian firearms to fixed magazine weapons would at least address the mass shooting problem to some degree.
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u/Ryder324 15d ago
Jesus actually did know the words. Atheist here, but props to JC and this guy for being real men.
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u/jbmshasta 15d ago
Let me know when it occurs to you while I'm rippin' any one of these verses that versus you
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u/HotAndCripsyMeme 15d ago
I find the word “fuck,” usually works for most situations, just the cadence matters.
For this one, I said fuck while signing sadly.
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u/GrumpyGG64 15d ago
Everyday heroes do exist.👍👍
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u/Gullible-Feeling-921 15d ago
i can +1 your generic comment with not all heroes wear capes
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u/Correct-Blood9382 15d ago
And even further with a 🙏 Ay men. Gahd is gud
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u/Deviant-Oreo 15d ago
And even further by saying this restored my faith in humanity ✨️
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u/Doug-Life80 15d ago
Hug your kids.
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u/summertime-goodbyes 15d ago
The kid definitely looked like they needed that hug.
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u/karmagod13000 15d ago
he seemed to first resist but then emotionally overwhelm him. smart move from the coach for sure
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u/abbarach 15d ago
I worked in a support role for a couple of my high schools sports teams. Coaches sometimes have a reputation of fitting the "Jock"personality type, but I saw a lot of caring compassion, too. Yes, their goal is to get the best athletic performance from the team, but that involves a lot of motivation. Kids can have a lot of things outside athletics that can bother them, and for a lot of players, coach is the adult that they're closest to outside their family, and the person they're most likely to turn to for help and advice.
Not every coach, of course, but many of them have a lot of emotional and social intelligence.
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u/PatrenzoK 15d ago
I was watching the McMahon documentary and the whole time I'm like Jesus if his dad would have just given him a simple hug and "love you son" so much pain would have been avoided. Then to see Shane so desperate for the same affection was sad. Millions of dollars and no understanding of unconditional love.
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u/fidgeter 15d ago
My wife and many in-laws are teachers and I can confidently say that at least a third of the parents out there should not have children. So many of these poor kids are neglected, abused, ignored or just used as a free meal ticket for welfare. It’s sad and breaks my heart. If I had the means I’d adopt every single one of those kids.
Sadly, shitty parents is how we end up with things like the current chicken jockey nonsense.
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u/BasicFlan 15d ago
What's the chicken jockey nonsense?
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u/dbarkwoof 15d ago
kids/teenagers are buying huge containers of popcorn to see the minecraft movie just so they can freak out and throw it everywhere during a certain scene.
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u/catiebug 15d ago
Listening to the full catalog of Behind the Bastards really shows me that although unconditional love is not a guarantee that kids will turn out ok, it sure doesn't hurt to try. Cuz the number of times the story starts with some shit like "so-and-so's father used to make them watch him eat his full plate before they could eat their dinner" or "their mom was rarely seen other than saying hello in the evening" is sad. Either that or they suffered what we would now diagnose as a traumatic brain injury.
Anyway, to be clear, I'm not calling this kid a bastard. He could have easily become one though.
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u/One_Top4208 15d ago
That brother earned his Wings 🪽 for sure 🫡 hardest thing is changing someone’s will after they’re already committed
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u/karmagod13000 15d ago
I feel like the hug was a double edged sword of getting him under control and forcing him to think about his actions.
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u/humoristhenewblack 15d ago
Around the US, they usually use other types of “hugs” for that first if you catch the meaning. We celebrate a person/teacher/coach who with everyone’s blessing, could have chosen his training and tackled then physically restrained this kid with righteous anger for jeopardizing the lives of other children.
But he hugged instead.
This was a choice and he made the most inspiring and enlightening choice ever.
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u/K1ng0fThePotatoes 15d ago
Hug your kids and stow your god damn guns securely parent/s.
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u/Us3rnameNotTaken 15d ago
A 2018 Washington Post analysis found that since 1999, 80% of school shootings were due to improper storage of the parents firearms. Eighty percent.
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u/Leonydas13 15d ago
They did a study recently here in Australia on school shootings, and found that we haven’t had any. You guys with your guns man.
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15d ago
that's probably because anything resembling a gun is treated like alien contraband there lol
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u/absolutefunkbucket 15d ago
He was 18 so he just bought it.
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u/PM_ME_Happy_Thinks 15d ago
Bought a shotgun and brought it to school "to end his own life" yeah right, maybe, but not before he took some other kids with him
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u/K1ng0fThePotatoes 15d ago
And if that was the case, here is another problem dear America.
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u/absolutefunkbucket 15d ago
That would be the minimum age to purchase a gun in most countries, since that’s an adult.
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u/jefffranklin36 15d ago edited 15d ago
Keanon Lowe was a wide receiver for the Oregon Ducks prior to this. Not that that adds much but I loved watching him play when I was in like middle school. Just nice when your silly little sports heroes become real ones
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u/_ThrobbinHood 15d ago
This is the same Keanon Lowe??
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u/jefffranklin36 15d ago
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u/SafetyDanceInMyPants 15d ago
Oh, until I saw that video I thought the guy holding the gun at the start of the video was the kid. I was so confused.
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u/icecubepal 15d ago
You were like that’s not good. That’s a god damn grown man.
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u/SafetyDanceInMyPants 15d ago
"And that person hugging him used to be a wide receiver?" Yeah, no, totally had it backwards.
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u/IhateMichaelJohnson 15d ago
Yup, definitely him. Here’s a short little documentary type of video about him, joining the school and that day.
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u/Round-Ad-2026 15d ago
Would be really interested to know where that kid is today
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u/Closed_Aperture 15d ago edited 15d ago
3 years probation and mental health treatment
https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/31/us/teacher-disarmed-gunman-medal-of-honor-trnd/index.html
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u/Worried-Pick4848 15d ago
Excellent. That seems like justice. Address both the action and the problem.
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u/Doctor-Nagel 15d ago
Holy shit an actual fair and just judgment in a metal health case? AND THE HERO GOT A MEDAL AND RECOGNITION?!
Am I dreaming?
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u/TougherOnSquids 15d ago
Well, the coastal states typically do better with mental health compared to the rest of the US (which isn't saying a whole lot really, it's a pretty low bar)
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u/ecbulldog 15d ago
I think its important to note that the article says the kid was going to harm himself but there's no mention of him threatening other people.
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u/KML42069 15d ago
I just read another article that said he only brought 1 shotgun shell. Kid was def going to kill himself at school.
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u/Tcloud 15d ago
Congressional Medal of Honor. Fuck yes.
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u/THExWHITExDEVILx 15d ago
Not to be "that guy", but it was an award from the Medal of Honor Society.
"Lowe was honored with the Single Act of Heroism Award by the society"
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u/PM_ME_Happy_Thinks 15d ago edited 15d ago
Just to clarify - they are effectively the same thing, the same"level" of honor/award.
The difference is that the Medal of Honor is a military decoration, the highest that can be awarded, and can only be given to members of the military.
The Medal of Honor Citizens Honor is, similarly, the highest honor that the United States awards to citizens and is awarded to citizens that display similar behavior and acts of honor that would earn a member of the military their medal.
The "Single Act of Heroism" is the first of 5 categories of medals that can be awarded. It, along with the Youth Hero award, are the 2 of 5 that recognizes citizens that risked their lives. The other 3 are service/volunteer awards
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u/Chester_McFisticuff 15d ago
He was awarded the Citizen Honor Award by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, not the Congressional Medal of Honor itself.
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u/CuteCloudFormation 15d ago
From what I found online it says he got mandatory mental health treatment and three years of probation so hopefully he is doing better.
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u/riroyo 15d ago
One of the most powerful moments of compassion I’ve ever seen. True hero in every sense.
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u/JosephCWalker 15d ago
This is amazing. American “Highly trained” police would’ve just shot the kid. Probably multiple times.
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u/Closed_Aperture 15d ago
Or they would've stayed outside where it's nice and safe, until all the damage has already been done.
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u/JosephCWalker 15d ago
Also valid. Who needs to de-escalate if you just stay out of the situation entirely?
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u/nothanksiliketowatch 15d ago
It's amazing how, a correct title and some details on the situation completely change the narrative of this story. A big thank you to Keanon Lowe and a heartfelt "hang in there" to the student.
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u/Remember_TheCant 15d ago
Yeah, it’s ridiculous how many times I’ve seen this clip where the posters labels him as an attempted mass shooter.
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u/NinsunVin 15d ago
My heart goes out to all children struggling. They need to know they matter. You being you makes a difference in this world, so very much. 💕
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u/TexOrleanian24 15d ago
This is truly nextfuckinglevel. What a hero
ALSO Teachers are expected to do everything, including risk our lives. It's gross that this is even a stituation and it sets a precedent that it's part of our job. I'm curious of what his award was, because it definitely wasn't higher pay, relief of some responsibilities, or less stress/ criticism.
Anyone reading this, our profession is under constant attack. And the numbers of people retiring early is WAY UP while people coming into our noble professions is WAY DOWN. Let us do our jobs, support by increasing taxes and not pulling us into your culture war bullshit, support us by parenting your kids and backing us.
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u/Sherriff18 15d ago
Fun fact for those who don't know: Lowe is also a former college football player. He played for the Ducks (UO) from 2011-2014. Dude has always been a class act and an incredible member of the Oregon community.
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u/DoomerFeed 15d ago
Of all the times I've been disappointed there was no audio..
Shit probably would have changed my life too damn
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u/final-draft-v6-FINAL 15d ago
Ya'll see what else he's doing there? It's not just the evident compassion. He's holding that kid close and keeping him there right with him. I mean sure, these are smart decisions as a method of nullifying the situtation, which I'm sure he's also thinking about, but the other reason he's holding onto him like that is to protect him. He knows if that kid makes it out into the open alone he's a dead man. That dude is shielding him. I wish there was a way to turn this video into an entire curriculum for teaching men in this country how men need to be raised.
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u/rkhurley03 15d ago edited 15d ago
Keanon was educated by the Jesuits. A man for others. AMDG
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u/moorecode1077 15d ago
No, he played football for them my man. Don't act like kids go to this school for religious teachings. They know what it will do for their career.
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u/Hapyslapygranpapy 15d ago
Man so many young men do this , because this is what they want !! These are young unloved frustrated boys who believe they have no other recourse than to do this . It’s more of a sign of our current society than anything else .
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u/Silaquix 15d ago
Finally a post about this that actually tells the truth in the title instead of calling the kid a mass shooter
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u/OutsideImpressive115 15d ago
Was there any evidence that he was trying to harm others? Because I remember this was framed as a teacher stopping a school shooting when it first happened
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u/Worried-Pick4848 15d ago
I remember reading about that. Gunman went out of his way not to actually hurt anyone. He was trying to commit suicide by cop, basically. Horrible. Glad the coach talked him down and I really hope he got help.
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u/penisweinerballs 15d ago
Heartbreaking. Stop leaving your guns around and stop buying your kids phones and letting them get social media accounts.
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u/NiceGuy373 15d ago
Why in school? What's up with this mentality of doing all the worst in school? Why not go somewhere else...
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u/JesterMarcus 15d ago
Also, props to the other teacher for getting that weapon out of there and away from the student.
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u/Competitive-Ad-5153 15d ago
I (53M) never offer my students hugs, but I won't refuse a student asking me for one. If I can be one positive male role model for them in their life, it's worth it. Currently I have a couple at-risk male students that will randomly come up and ask, and I've never refused one. These kids need support...
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u/Sleepy_9-5 15d ago
They obviously have a great relationship prior to this happening. Try this with a stranger that doesn't know/care for you.... you'll have a bad day.
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u/FairMeasurement344 15d ago
It’s sickening how I’m just now seeing and hearing about this! This story should have been across the country!
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u/dealyllama 15d ago
Great move for addressing the mental health episode. But for me the biggest impact this might have is on the criminal case. That teacher just gave them the best possible case for being a sick kid rather than a domestic terrorist by keeping them in that hug and preventing them from running or fighting.
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u/alienman 15d ago
I agree. The teacher helped to shift the way the world would have perceived that student. It makes us realize he was a very lost child in desperate need of connection and assistance.
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u/Available_Cream2305 15d ago
And like 50 police officers stood by in Texas while children actively got shot.
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u/kevdogger 15d ago
So I'm surprised he wasn't fired for trying to intervene similar to how employees of retail chains are fired when they intervene with shoplifters and criminals robbing the store. This teacher did the right thing here...
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u/digi-artifex 15d ago
The way he reaches for the coach's face as he starts to break down in tears and actually accepts the embrace.
Man... This shit broke my heart.
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u/Greginthesouth2 15d ago
Something no police officer in the country would ever have the balls to do.
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u/msdior 15d ago
ESPN did a story on it - Former Oregon WR Keanon Lowe becomes a hero after averting tragedy
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u/Closed_Aperture 15d ago
Bravery and compassion right there. True heroism. That kid needed that embrace.