REST IN PEACE

UNC Shooting Hero Riley Howell to Be Buried With Military Honors

Howell, who charged and tackled the gunman, will be laid to rest Sunday.

Riley Howell, the 21-year-old University of North Carolina Charlotte student who lost his life charging and tackling a gunman who attacked his campus last Tuesday, will be buried with full military honors, The New York Post reports Sunday. Howell, who was a ROTC cadet, was sitting in an anthropology class when a gunman burst in and opened fire. Howell ran towards the gunman and knocked him to the ground, which gave officers more time to respond. “Absolutely, Mr. Howell saved lives,” said Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department chief Kerr Putney after the tragic shooting. Howell was fatally shot during the scuffle; one other student, 19-year-old ellis Parlier, was also killed. “Riley died the way he lived, putting others first. Our hope is that his example resonates with everyone,” Howell’s family said in his obituary. “We hope others will, if ever the need arises, answer the call to be selfless and do the right thing without hesitation.”