A 21-year-old student has been hailed a hero for saving his fellow students' lives by tackling a gunman who was shooting up a university classroom, police in the US said on Wednesday.
Riley Howell, an environmental studies major from Waynesville, North Carolina, died for his efforts.
David Belnap, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, displays a t-shirt in Charlotte, Wednesday, May 1, 2019. Source: AP
The other student killed in the shooting was Ellis Parlier, 19, officials said.
Four students left wounded in the attack were identified as Drew Pescaro, 19; Sean DeHart, 20; Emily Houpt, 23; and Rami Alramadhan, 20.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said the authorities were still trying to find a motive for Tuesday's attack at the University of North Carolina.
Trystan Terrell, 22, a former student, was arrested following the shooting at the school's Charlotte campus, which also left four wounded.
'His sacrifice saved lives'
Mr Putney said he had spoken to Howell's father about his son's heroism.
"When I spoke to the father - one father to another - I told him personally, I wished I had words," he said.
"What I did tell him is, we're committed to the work, we're going to get to the bottom of it. We assured him we're going to find out the why," Putney said. "We're going to give them closure."
The officer said Howell had taken the assailant "off his feet."
A medic walks between police cars after a shooting on the campus of University of North Carolina Charlotte in University City, Charlotte, on April 30, 2019. Source: AFP
"(He) did exactly what we trained people to do," Mr Putney said.
"You're either going to run, hide and shield or you're going to take the fight to the assailant," he said.
Having no place to run or hide, Howell chose the last option open to him.
"But for his work, the assailant may not have been disarmed," Mr Putney said. "Unfortunately, he gave his life in the process. But his sacrifice saved lives."
Three of the four injured students remain hospitalised.
Riley Howell, 21, right was killed after he tackled a gunman who opened fire at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Source: Matthew Westmoreland, AP
Family pay tribute: he 'radiated love'
Howell's family released a statement on Wednesday, TV station WSOC reported, saying he "radiated love and always will."
"He loved 'Star Wars,' birds, cars, snowboarding, going to the lake, Kentucky Hot Browns cooking from scratch with cast iron while listening to the Feel Good Classic Soul playlist, and his Lauren," the statement said, referring to Howell's longtime girlfriend, Lauren Westmoreland. "He could also put away a pizza."
Westmoreland wrote on Facebook, "I just don't really have any words. I keep hoping and hoping I will wake up from this awful dream, but I know that I won't."
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Numerous staff members from Howell's high school, T.C. Roberson High School remembered him as a popular student where he was a member of the soccer and cross-country teams. They said he was rarely seen without a smile and whose heroics on Tuesday reflected his devotion to others.
"I remember Riley's enthusiasm for life, infectious smile, and bright-eyed amiability," said his English teacher, Tristen Plemmons, in a statement released by the school district. "I can think of only one way to describe his passing -- heart-wrenching."
US annual firearms death toll highest in five decades
Trystan Terrell is facing two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder.
Local news footage on Tuesday showed police escorting him, a tall, lanky figure with shaggy hair from a patrol car. As he was taken into a station house he looked over his shoulder with a smile and yelled a comment to reporters.
Students and faculty file out during a lockdown after a shooting at the University of North Carolina Charlotte in University City, Charlotte, on April 30, 2019. Source: AFP
Television station WBTV quoted the remark as: "I just went into his classroom and shot the guy."
Police said the suspect had used a legally purchased handgun and was carrying a large amount of ammunition. He was familiar with the classroom building where the attack occurred, but it was unclear if he knew the students who were shot, Mr Putney said.
"We can't really discern the why just yet," Mr Putney said. "The randomness is what is most concerning."
He added that police believe Terrell acted alone.
The latest in a string of mass shootings in the US came just days after a teenage gunman opened fire on a synagogue in Poway, California, killing one person and injuring three others.
According to government figures, 40,000 people were killed by firearms in the United States in 2017 - two-thirds of them suicides - the highest annual toll in five decades.
