On Tuesday, April 30, a shooter opened fire on the University of North Carolina-Charlotte’s campus, leaving two dead and four injured.
Three of the injured were left in critical condition, and one other person had non-life threatening injuries, UNCC police said during a press conference.
All six victims were students at UNCC. According to WRAL, the two students who were killed were Ellis Parlier, 19, from Midland, N.C. and Riley Howell, 21, of Waynesville, N.C.
The four injured students were Sean DeHard, 20, and Drew Pescaro, 19, both from Apex, NC; Emily Houpt, 23, from Charlotte; and Rami Alramadhan, 20, from Saudi Arabia.
According to The News & Observer, shots were reported at 5:42 p.m., and officers immediately responded, subdued the shooter and took the suspect into custody.
The suspect, Trystan Andrew Terrell, is a former student of the university, according to UNCC’s student newspaper, NinerTimes. Terrell was described to have been armed with a pistol.
As of 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, Terrell was in police custody.
NC State Student Body President Emma Carter, a third-year studying sociology and international studies, released a statement regarding the shooting.
“Our hearts go out to those affected by this tragic loss of life and the entire UNCC community,” Carter’s statement said. “A campus should be a safeplace of learning and growth, a place where students should not have to worry while walking to their next class or be afraid to get back to their car.”
UNCC Chancellor Phillip Dubois released a statement expressing gratitude toward UNCC Police and Public Safety and other emergency officials for their rapid response. Additionally, he said university staff supports those who were injured.
“The days ahead will be some of the most challenging we have ever encountered,” Dubois said. “All I can say for certain is that we will get through them together. There is still much that we don’t know, and we will share information with you as soon as it is available. Among those unknowns is how we will navigate the remainder of the semester, including the final examination schedule and graduation.”
UNCC has canceled exams through Sunday and is running under suspended operations.
A student-organized vigil will be held at the university’s Halton Arena at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to honor the victims.
