Factbox: 'This is tragic' - Environmental studies student, sportswriter among victims in North Carolina shooting
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An environmental studies student, a human rights advocate and a sportswriter for the student newspaper were among the victims when a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Tuesday, killing two people and wounding four.
The Charlotte-Mecklenberg Police Department and school officials identified the victims on Wednesday. All four injured students were expected to recover, authorities said.
Riley Howell, 21
Howell, an environmental studies student, was killed in the attack. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native was a graduate of T.C. Roberson High School, where he was a member of the soccer and cross-country teams, according to local media.
"You can't really put into words what a good human being he was," his former soccer coach, Andrew Martin, told the Asheville Citizen-Times. "There aren't words to describe how we're all feeing. This is tragic."
Howell previously attended elementary and middle school in nearby Haywood County, according to the superintendent, Bill Nolte.
"He was a bright student, very likeable," Nolte said in a phone interview.
Ellis Parlier, 19
Parlier, of Midland, North Carolina, was killed in the attack. He graduated in 2017 from Central Academy of Technology and Arts in Monroe, North Carolina, a magnet school, after having been on the information technology track, according to a spokeswoman for the Union County public school district.
Drew Pescaro, 19
Pescaro, who was injured in the attack, is a sportswriter for the student newspaper, the Niner Times. The paper said on Twitter that Pescaro underwent surgery on Tuesday night and is in stable condition.
Pescaro is also a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and a video assistant for the UNC football team. He grew up in Rutland, Massachusetts, before moving to Apex, North Carolina, according to his Facebook page, and graduated from Middle Creek High School.
His family and friends were using the hashtag #DrewStrong on Twitter to express support for his recovery.
"Being on campus during a school shooting is scary enough," wrote a friend and classmate, Daniel Engman. "Having a man, great friend, and brother get injured in the shooting is a whole other level. Love you Drew, everyone is #DrewStrong right now."
Rami Alramadhan, 20
Alramadhan, of Saudi Arabia, was wounded in the attack. His family was en route to the United States, according to officials.
Emily Houpt, 23
Houpt, who was injured in the attack, was about to graduate with a degree in international/global studies. She also minored in political science and in Holocaust, genocide and human rights, and currently works as an intern at the nonprofit World Affairs Council of Charlotte, according to her LinkedIn profile.
"During my time at UNCC, I have learned a great deal about human rights in the United States and around the globe," she wrote at the site. "My goal is to find a position with an organization that seeks to protect human rights in any way, be it through advocacy or service."
Sean DeHart, 20
DeHart, who was wounded in the shooting, grew up in Shelton, Connecticut before moving to Apex, North Carolina, according to his Facebook page. He attended Cardinal Gibbons High School, a private Roman Catholic school in Raleigh.
(Reporting by Joseph Ax, Barbara Goldberg and Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
