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University of North Carolina at Charlotte shooting: what we know
Two people were killed at UNC Charlotte, and the shooter is in custody.
Two people were killed and four more were injured in a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday, police officials said at a news conference.
The suspect — a 22-year-old former student — is in custody, police confirmed. He faces multiple charges, including two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder.
The university’s Office of Emergency Management issued an alert at 5:50 pm local time telling students and staff to “Run, Hide, Fight” and “Secure yourself immediately.” At 7:39 pm, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department tweeted that the scene was secure and the lone suspect was in custody. But the school remained on lockdown for hours as police cleared buildings, and exams were canceled through Sunday.
The story is still developing. Here’s what we know, and don’t, so far.
What we know
- Around 5:42 pm local time on Tuesday, police received reports of an “active shooter on South Library Lane in the Kennedy Building,” according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Officers, nearby for an upcoming concert, responded to the scene quickly, and took the alleged shooter into custody. “Our officers’ actions definitely saved lives,” UNC Charlotte Police Chief Jeff Baker said at a press conference.
- Two people were killed and four more were injured, Baker said.
- The two killed were 19-year-old Ellis Parlier and 21-year-old Riley Howell, according to UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois. The four injured were 20-year-old Sean Dehart, 19-year-old Drew Pescaro, 23-year-old Emily Haupt, and 20-year-old Rami Alramatin. All of the victims were from North Carolina except for Alramatin, who’s from Saudi Arabia.
- Officials identified the shooter as 22-year-old Trystan Andrew Terrell. He’s charged with two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, possession of a firearm on educational property, and discharging a firearm on educational property.
- A student posted video of people on campus evacuating the area on Tuesday.
- The school has more than 26,500 students, as well as 3,000 faculty and staff, according to the Associated Press. It was the last week of class.
- The school remained on lockdown for hours while police cleared buildings. Exams were canceled through Sunday.
- Prior to the UNC Charlotte shooting, there had been at least 106 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The organization defines mass shootings as events in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, were shot but not necessarily killed in a similar time and place.
What we don’t know
- The motivation for the shooting
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