Another school shooting has happened in the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
The attack was the latest in a string of mass shootings at educational institutions that have plagued the country. The fact that it came on the heels of another heinous attack at a California synagogue last weekend, as well as the recent 20th anniversary of the Columbine shootings, is practically hair-raising.
The police identified the gunman as Trystan Andrew Terrell and said that he had been charged with two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder. The authorities said that the handgun that was used during the shooting had been legally purchased.
His motives have not been released publicly as of yet. However, it was noted that Terrell was a former student of UNC, then to him the building was familiar, and the choice to focus on it was ‘intentional.’
There were four who were injured during the shooting. The university identified the injured students as Sean DeHart, 20, and Drew Pescaro, 19, both of Apex, N.C.; Emily Houpt, 23, of Charlotte; and Rami Alramadhan, 20, of Saihat, Saudi Arabia. Three remained hospitalized Wednesday evening.
Two people lost their lives that day, Ellis R. Parlier, 19, of Midland, N.C., and Riley Howell of Waynesville, N.C., who people consider a hero.
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It was apparent that Howell could neither run nor hide when the gunman burst into their classroom on the night of the shooting. So he did what he could do.
He “took the suspect off his feet,” said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney in a news conference. “Absolutely, Mr. Howell saved lives.”
“[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 […] But for his work, the assailant may not have been disarmed. Unfortunately, he gave his life in the process. But his sacrifice saved lives.”
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