UNC Charlotte shooting: Two students killed in deadly campus shooting identified

Daniel J. Gross, Nikie Mayo and Elizabeth LaFleur
Updated

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The two people who were killed when a shooter opened fire in a classroom building Tuesday at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have been identified.

One of the victims has been identified as Ellis Parlier, 19, from Midland, North Carolina, Parlier graduated from Central Academy of Technology and Arts, part of the Union County public school system in North Carolina. He was in the information technology track, said Tahira Stalberte, a spokeswoman for the school system.

"It's very shocking as you can imagine. Our community is still in shock in dealing with this loss," Stalberte told The Greenville News by phone. "The news is still very fresh in our community."

More than two dozen cars were parked Wednesday afternoon outside a home on Cabarrus Station Road in Midland where the family of Parlier has gathered to mourn. Friends of his family gathered outside the home to turn away reporters.

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The other deceased victim was identified as Riley Howell, 21, of Waynesville, North Carolina. Howell was active in sports, playing soccer and running cross-country through high school.

Lucas Tate, 20, said Howell was one of his best friends. They met in high school and participated in the same sports before heading to separate colleges.

But they always managed to stay in touch, Tate said, and made the usual plans to hike and camp when they returned to the Asheville area this summer.

Tate said he and Howell's loved ones were in contact after the shooting and could not reach him. They later learned he had a class in the building where the shooting was reported, and Tate said he received word in morning confirming Howell's death.

Riley Howell, in the 2015 Roberson High School yearbook.
Riley Howell, in the 2015 Roberson High School yearbook.

Howell, Tate said, "was one of the most loving and caring people I have ever met."

"He had an amazing soul," he said. "He always brought light into the room and he just cared about people more than himself. He was just that kind of person."

Parlier and Howell were killed when a shooter opened fire on the UNC Charlotte campus just before 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Four other people were injured, the university said. They were: Drew Pescaro, 19, of Apex, North Carolina; Sean DeHart, 20, of Apex, North Carolina; Rami Alramadhan, 20, of Saihat, Saudia Arabia; and Emily Houpt, 23, of Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Police disarmed and apprehended Terrell in the room where pistol shots rang out, said UNC Charlotte Police Chief Jeff Baker, crediting the officers' actions with saving lives.

"This is a truly tragic day," Baker said. "It is something where everyone says ... God, I hope this doesn’t happen. But it happened.”

Terrell was last enrolled in fall 2018, according to school records.

UNCC suspended all campus activities through Wednesday.

Contributing: Jennifer Bowman and David Thompson, Asheville Citizen Times; Kristin Lam, USA TODAY

Follow Elizabeth LaFleur, Daniel J. Gross and Nikie Mayor on Twitter: @eslafleur, @DanieljGross and @NikieMayo

This article originally appeared on The Greenville News: UNC Charlotte shooting: Two students killed in deadly campus shooting identified