UNC Charlotte Student Killed While Tackling Shooter Will Receive Military Honors

Riley Howell's obituary remembers him as a hero who "died the way he lived, putting others first."
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A University of North Carolina student who died charging an active shooter on the school’s Charlotte campus will be buried with full military honors, local TV station WJZY reported Friday.

Wells Funeral Homes confirmed to the outlet that 21-year-old Riley Howell, a ROTC cadet, will receive the special recognition when he is laid to rest.

Howell, who was nearly finished with his junior year of college, was killed on Tuesday as he tackled the alleged gunman, 22-year-old Trystan Terrell, a former UNCC student who has been arrested.

A second student, 19-year-old Ellis Parlier, was also killed, and four others were injured. Terrell faces two charges of murder and four counts of attempted murder.

In Howell’s obituary, he is remembered as “an adventurous guy who loved the outdoors” and had a passion “for life and all living things.”

“The family is profoundly moved by the outpouring of love and support shown by our friends, family, community and people around the country we have never even met,” the obituary reads. “Riley died the way he lived, putting others first.”

In the wake of the violence, UNCC Chancellor Philip Dubois told students in a statement Thursday that “we will emerge from these difficult days.”

“We will not emerge unchanged, but we will emerge united and stronger,” he said. “That will be our new normal.”

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