Riley Howell was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart AND Bronze Star
21-year-old Army ROTC cadet Riley Howell was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart AND Bronze Star by Waynesville Police Chief William Hollingsed and Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher after Howell died while tackling the University of North Carolina gunman, 22-year-old Trystan Andrew Terrell, who purchased a handgun legally.
Howell saved many lives at the Charlotte campus that day on April 30. Terrell, who opened fire inside of a 50-student anthropology classroom before 6 PM that day, was charged with murder, attempted murder, and other offenses.