Victims in Deadly UNCC Campus Shooting Identified

Published: 5/2/2019, 5:55:44 PM EDT

All victims of the shooting at the University of North Carolina on Tuesday have been identified. Philip Dubois, the chancellor of the university, said in an interview on WBT radio on Wednesday, May 2.

Two young men were killed. One was described as a quiet, funny, award-winning computer genius, and the other as a friend and "everybody's protector." He's the one that will go down in history as the guy that sacrificed his life and saved many others' by going at the shooter.

Ellis R. "Reed" Parlier, 19, of Midland, North Carolina, was one of the two killed. According to a spokeswoman for the Union County Public Schools, Parlier graduated in 2017 from the Central Academy of Technology and Arts, a magnet high school in Monroe, North Carolina, where he studied computer technology,

The other victim was Riley Howell, 21, of Waynesville, North Carolina, an environmental studies student. Officials at Buncombe County school district said Mr. Howell graduated from T.C. Roberson High School in Asheville in 2016.

Howell's family released a statement to local media calling their son "truly a one-of-a-kind guy."

"He was the kind of person who you knew would take care of you the moment you met him, and he always did. He radiated love and always will," his family said.

Chief Kerr Putney of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police told reporters that Howell was shot and killed trying to thwart the attack. “He took the assailant off his feet,” Chief Putney said, Buzzfeed reported. “Absolutely, Mr. Howell saved lives.”

Morgan Howell Moylan, Howell's aunt, told CNN he was shot point-blank. "He did such a heroic thing," Moylan said. "It was absolutely no surprise. In fact, I have four children who so look up to him. Every one of them said, 'Of course, he was the hero, one hundred percent, of course he'd run toward the shooter.' He was everybody's protector. You felt safe when you were with Riley."

The perpetrator, 22-year-old Trystan Andrew Terrell is a former history student at UNC Charlotte. It's unlikely the suspect knew the victims in person, police said.

"I just went into a classroom and shot the guys," Terrell later would say to reporters on Tuesday as officers were leading him away in handcuffs.

"The only silver lining this morning is the four other students that were injured look like they're going to be fine," UNC Charlotte Chancellor Phil Dubois said on Wednesday morning on WBT Radio. "Two of them had surgery and are still in the hospital, one was released"

The four people who got wounded during the attack are:

Drew Pescaro, 19, from Apex, North Carolina. Pescaro was a sportswriter for The Niner Times, a student newspaper. His condition is said to be stable after surgery and is expected to be released from the hospital soon.

Rami Alramadhan, 20, of Saihat, Saudi Arabia. Alramadhan was wounded to his abdomen and right hand but also should be released soon.

Emily Houpt, 23, of Charlotte.

Sean DeHart, 20, of Apex, North Carolina.

Terrell is detained without bail and was scheduled to make his first court appearance today, May 2, at 1 p.m.