Suspect in shooting at North Carolina university indicted

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A grand jury has indicted a 22-year-old man on murder and other charges in the shooting attack at a North Carolina university that left two students dead and four others wounded, a prosecutor’s office announced Tuesday.

The Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement the indictments handed down Monday charged Trystan Andrew Terrell with two counts of first-degree murder in last week’s shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Terrell also was indicted on four counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and one count each of discharging a firearm on educational property and of possession of a gun on educational property.

While the indictments offered no additional details, the district attorney’s office said the indictments negate the need for any previously scheduled hearings. As a result, the District Court bond hearing scheduled for May 15 has been cancelled, and Terrell’s next court date in Superior Court is set for June 13.

The website of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office said bond has not been set on the murder charges.

Authorities said the shooting occurred last Tuesday in a lecture hall, but detectives haven’t determined if the particular class or individuals were deliberately targeted. Officials have described Terrell as a former student who withdrew before the end of this semester.

Killed in the shooting were Riley Howell, 21, of Waynesville, and Ellis R. Parlier, 19 of Midland. Those wounded were Sean Dehart, 20, and Drew Pescaro, 19, both of Apex; Emily Houpt, 23, of Charlotte; and Rami Alramadhan, 20, of Saihat, Saudi Arabia.

Authorities said Howell tackled the gunman, saving lives. Howell was remembered as a hero at his weekend memorial service.

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This story has been corrected to show Terrell is 22, not 21.