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Riley Howell, a 21-year-old UNCC student who was killed in Tuesday’s mass shooting, is being hailed as a hero after he reportedly laid down his life in order to disarm the gunman, 22-year-old Trystan Terrell.
According to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney, Howell “took the suspect off his feet” which “absolutely” saved lives in the process.
“[Howell] did exactly what we train people to do — you’re either going to run, you’re going to hide and shield, or you’re going to take the fight to the assailant. Having no place to run and hide, he did the last,” Putney said to reporters.
Howell, from of Waynesville, North Carolina, was one of two people to be killed in the senseless shooting.
Riley Howell, a 21-year-old from Waynesville, North Carolina, has been identified as one of the victims who was killed in the University of North Carolina-Charlotte mass shooting on Tuesday, April 30.
About Riley Howell
Howell, 21-years-old, was shot and killed after Trystan Andrew Terrell — a 22-year-old former UNCC history student — began open firing on the University of North Carolina-Charlotte campus.
In addition to Howell, 19-year-old Ellis Parlier was killed and four other people were injured.
The four injured victims have been identified as 19-year-old Drew Pescaro, 20-year-old Sean Dehart, 20-year-old Rami Alramatin, and 23-year-old Emily Haupt.
University of North Carolina-Charlotte students will be holding a candlelight vigil to honor the victims at the school’s Star Quad on Wednesday, May 1, at 6 p.m. EST.
The thoughts and prayers of our entire staff are with the friends, families, and various loved ones of Riley Howell during this extremely trying time.
UNCC Shooting: What Happened?
Trystan Andrew Terrell, a former history student at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, carried out an active shooting at the school on Tuesday, April 30.
Reports indicate that local authorities first received reports of an active shooter in the Kennedy Building on South Library Lane on the UNCC campus around 5:45 p.m. local time.
Once the call came in, the university was placed on lockdown and multiple police agencies, including the ATF, responded to the scene.
Following the shooting, Terrell was arrested and taken to a nearby North Carolina jail for questioning.
At this time, police have yet to determine and/or disclose a motive.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoedsite.wpengine.com and we will respond as soon as possible.
