UNC Charlotte gunman intentionally chose building for attack, police say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The gunman who killed two students and wounded four others at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte didn't seem to be targeting anyone in particular but did choose the building to carry out his attack on purpose, authorities said Wednesday.

Former UNCC student Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22, has been formally charged with murder, attempted murder and other offenses related to Tuesday's shooting during a class on the last day of classes before final exams.

Students were in class to make end-of-year presentations when the suspect started firing off a pistol, killing Ellis R. Parlier, 19, of Midland, North Carolina, and Riley C. Howell, 21, of Waynesville, North Carolina, officials said.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said the bloodshed would have been worse if not for Howell tackling the gunman, getting fatally shot in the process.

“You’re either going to run, you’re going to hide and shield, or you’re going to take the fight to the assailant,'' Putney said. "Having no place to run and hide, he did the last. But for his work, the assailant may not have been disarmed. Unfortunately, he gave his life in the process. But his sacrifice saved lives.”

Police disarmed and apprehended Terrell in the same room where shots were fired, UNCC Police Chief Jeff Baker said. Officers who were assembling nearby for a concert rushed to the classroom building and arrested the gunman.

He said Terrell was "not somebody ... on our radar" before the shooting.

Putney said he promised the father of one of the victims that his detectives would do everything possible to find a motive for the assault, which has not been revealed.

“I just went into a classroom and shot the guys,” Terrell told reporters Tuesday as officers led him in handcuffs into a law enforcement building.

The injured students were identified as Rami Alramadhan, 20, of Saihat, Saudia Arabia; Sean Dehart, 20, of Apex, North Carolina; Emily Houpt, 23, of Charlotte, and Drew Pescaro, 19, also of Apex.

Pescaro is a sportswriter at the school newspaper, Niner Times, which tweeted late Tuesday that he was out of surgery and in stable condition.

Chancellor Philip Dubois said all four injured students are expected to recover.

The shooting took place during a class on the anthropology and philosophy of science, according to a message on what appeared to be the Twitter account of the instructor who witnessed the attack. Adam Johnson wrote that teams of students were delivering their presentations when the gunman opened fire.

“Yes, there was a shooting in my class today,” Johnson wrote. “My students are so special to me and I am devastated.”

Johnson declined to comment further Wednesday.

Terrell's grandfather, Paul Rold, said his grandson has not been allowed to speak to his father or a lawyer. Rold, of Arlington, Texas, says Terrell is on the autism spectrum but “clever as can be” and showed no interest in guns.

According to Putney, the weapon used in the shooting was purchased legally.

What we know: University of North Carolina at Charlotte updates: Who are the victims? The suspected shooter?

The suspect: UNC Charlotte shooting suspect is a 22-year-old former student who majored in history

Terrell, who was booked in jail around 5 a.m., was a history major at UNCC, where he transferred in fall 2018. School spokeswoman Buffy Stephens said Terrell withdrew from UNCC earlier this year

The Charlotte Observer reported he had no prior arrest record.

Born in Texas, Terrell is a registered voter in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Terrell and his father moved to Charlotte from the Dallas area about two years ago after his mother died, Rold told The Associated Press.

A campus vigil for the victims was planned for Wednesday evening, and the governor vowed a hard look to see what can be done to prevent future attacks.

"A student should not have to fear for his or her life when they are on our campuses,” Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters. “Parents should not have to worry about their students when they send them off to school. And I know that this violence has to stop. … In the coming days we will take a hard look at all of this to see what we need to do going forward.”

The shooting prompted a lockdown and caused panic across campus. Aerial shots from local television news outlets showed police officers running toward a building, while another view showed students running on a campus sidewalk.

Sophomore Devin Williams said the campus “usually feels relatively safe.”

Williams first found out about the active shooter through social media and received an emailed campus alert a few minutes later.

He was grateful for the speed of the police response.

“They were on the ball, that is the best way I can put it,” Williams said. “They came out incredibly quick, started securing areas, getting everyone safe.”

“Just loud bangs," said Antonio Rodriguez, 24, who was visiting campus for his friend’s art show. "A couple loud bangs and then we just saw everyone run out of the building, like nervous, like a scared run like they were looking behind."

Nikie Mayo reports for the (Anderson, South Carolina) Independent Mail; Mollie Simon for the Greenville (South Carolina) News; Joey Garrison for USA TODAY

Shooting in North Carolina: UNC Charlotte's 'worst day': Former student kills 2, injures 4 in shooting at North Carolina university

Other shootings on campus: UNC Charlotte is latest in a string of North Carolina campus shootings

This article originally appeared on The Greenville News: UNC Charlotte gunman intentionally chose building for attack, police say