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Howell, 21, was shot "at close range" while he was trying to shoot the man, said Aunt Morgan Howell Moylan. Another student, Ellis Parlier, aged 19, was also killed, said the school.
Howell's aunt said that she was not surprised to learn the actions of her nephew during the attack.
"He did something so heroic," Moylan said. "He was the protector of everyone, you felt safe when you were with Riley."
Howell grew up taking care of his three younger siblings on his family's farm in Waynesville, North Carolina. He spent time with first responders and dreamed of serving in the army after graduation.
He had been slow to sign up for the military to go to university. After graduating from Roberson High School in Asheville, North Carolina, he briefly attended the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College before being transferred to UNCC.
Moylan describes his nephew as a "big teddy bear" who enjoyed cooking, spending time outdoors and enjoyed working for a landscaping company.
"He was super fit, always the one who showed things to all the kids, he drove the boat to the lake house," she said.
Howell and Parlier from Midland, North Carolina, were killed in the shooting and four others were injured.
The university identified the wounded as Rami Al-Ramadhan, 20, from Saihat, Saudi Arabia; Sean DeHart, 20, and Drew Pescaro, 19, from Apex, NC, and Emily Houpt, 23, from Charlotte.
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