UNCC shooting suspect Trystan Terrell waived right to first appearance

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Trystan Terrell, the 22-year-old man accused of shooting and killing two people and injuring four others on the campus of UNC Charlotte, waived his right to be present in court during his first appearance.

The judge said Terrell requested he not be brought into court for his appearance. The judge said the law allowed defendants the option of whether to appear during their first court date.

Trystan Terrell, the 22-year-old man accused of shooting and killing two people on UNCC's campus, waived his right to be present in court during his first appearance.

Terrell is facing two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, possession of a firearm on educational property and discharging a firearm on educational property.

He is accused of fatally shooting 19-year-old Ellis Parlier and 21-year-old Riley Howell.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Howell "took the fight to the assailant" after determining he had no place to run or hide in his classroom.

Without his attack, Putney said Terrell's capture may have taken longer.

"His sacrifice saved lives," Putney said.

Four other people were injured in the shooting: Drew Pescaro, 19, Sean Dehart, 20, Emily Houpt, 23, and Rami Alramadhan, 20.

Pescaro and Dehart both attended high school in Apex.

According to WSOC, Terrell enrolled at UNC Charlotte in the fall of 2018. He was studying history but dropped out last semester.

Terrell's grandfather, Paul Rold of Arlington, Texas, said he moved to Charlotte two years ago with his father, the Associated Press reports.

This is the first time Terrell has been charged with a crime in North Carolina. His next court date is a bond hearing set for May 15.