Slain UNC Charlotte Hero Honored by Local Police

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department posthumously awarded that department's the Medal of Valor to the family of Riley Howell, the UNC Charlotte student who was killed while responding to an active shooter on campus last month.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department posthumously awarded that department's the Medal of Valor to the family of Riley Howell, the UNC Charlotte student who was killed while responding to an active shooter on campus last month.

According to WSOC-TV, CMPD Chief Kerr Putney said Howell’s actions—sacrificing his life in rushing a gunman at UNC Charlotte on April 30 to save others—merited the award typically reserved for police officers."The only thing we could do as an organization is recognize that, lift him up for the way that he lived his life," Putney said.

About the Author