UNC-Charlotte shooting victim tackled gunman and saved lives
CHARLOTTE, N.C. >> Facing a gunman in his classroom, Riley Howell chose to fight.
Authorities said Wednesday that the 21-yearold student at the University of North Carolina’s campus here knocked the assailant off his feet at a pivotal moment in Tuesday’s shooting, saving the lives of others even as Howell himself received a mortal wound.
Kerr Putney, chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, described Howell as “the first and foremost hero” in an attack that left two dead and four injured but could have turned out far worse. “But for his work, the assailant may not have been disarmed,” Putney said of Howell in a televised news conference. “Unfortunately, he gave his life in the process. But his sacrifice saved lives.”
Putney said Howell, of Waynesville, North Carolina, was probably the second UNC-Charlotte student to die in the shooting that occurred in the Kennedy Building shortly after a class began at 5:30 p.m. The other fatality, officials said, was Reed Parlier, 19, of Midland, North Carolina.The shooting rocked the 29,000-student public university on the final day of spring semester classes. Exams were postponed through Sunday, but the university said commencement will proceed as planned on May 10 and 11.
“This is still very raw for us,” UNC-Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois said at the news conference. Dubois said he had visited with three injured students who remained in the hospital. “They’re all doing OK,” he said. A fourth had been hospitalized and released.
The gunman targeted an anthropology class for reasons that remain unknown. Police identified the suspect as Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22. Local media described Terrell as a former UNC-Charlotte student, but efforts to confirm that with the university were unsuccessful. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said he was charged with two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, possession of a firearm on educational property and discharging a firearm on educational property. Terrell is due in court Today.
Relatives of Terrell could not be reached for comment. Putney said the gunman’s motive was unclear. “We can’t really discern the why just yet,” the chief said. He said the gunman had used a legally purchased handgun. The chief said he was concerned about the shooting’s apparent “randomness.”
“Everyone in this community stands in shock and grief,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said. She said the city has joined others stricken by mass gun violence, including in Las Vegas and cities in Florida. “Now, it’s Charlotte,” she said. “We have to support each other in the days and weeks to come.”