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| Hero in U.N.C. Charlotte Shooting Is Honored in New ‘Star Wars’ Book | Hero in U.N.C. Charlotte Shooting Is Honored in New ‘Star Wars’ Book |
| (about 13 hours later) | |
| Tucked away among the colorful pages that detail Sith troopers, Resistance supporters and moons in a galaxy far, far away is a short paragraph, not even 100 words long, telling the story of a Jedi Master and historian named Ri-Lee Howell who collected “many of the earliest accounts of exploration and codifications of The Force.” | Tucked away among the colorful pages that detail Sith troopers, Resistance supporters and moons in a galaxy far, far away is a short paragraph, not even 100 words long, telling the story of a Jedi Master and historian named Ri-Lee Howell who collected “many of the earliest accounts of exploration and codifications of The Force.” |
| But read between the lines of that blurb in the new book, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary,” and the words whisper the story of Riley Howell, the 21-year-old college student who died in April after tackling a gunman who opened fire on his classroom at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. | But read between the lines of that blurb in the new book, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary,” and the words whisper the story of Riley Howell, the 21-year-old college student who died in April after tackling a gunman who opened fire on his classroom at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. |
| Mr. Howell was hailed as a hero in the aftermath of the shooting, and he received military awards for his brave final moments. | Mr. Howell was hailed as a hero in the aftermath of the shooting, and he received military awards for his brave final moments. |
| Now, he is memorialized in the “Star Wars” canon. | Now, he is memorialized in the “Star Wars” canon. |
| The Jedi Master title appears to be an appropriate tribute for Mr. Howell, whose friends and family described him as a “Star Wars” fanatic and scholar. | |
| “So so SO much excitement to have my sweet Ri immortalized forever in the Star Wars universe that he loves so much,” Lauren Westmoreland, Mr. Howell’s girlfriend, wrote on Instagram. | “So so SO much excitement to have my sweet Ri immortalized forever in the Star Wars universe that he loves so much,” Lauren Westmoreland, Mr. Howell’s girlfriend, wrote on Instagram. |
| The post accompanied a photo of Mr. Howell as a child posing with a lightsaber, a picture of the book excerpt featuring him, and a screenshot of his entry in Wookieepedia, the “Star Wars” wiki. | The post accompanied a photo of Mr. Howell as a child posing with a lightsaber, a picture of the book excerpt featuring him, and a screenshot of his entry in Wookieepedia, the “Star Wars” wiki. |
| Mr. Howell’s mother, Natalie Henry-Howell, told The Charlotte Observer that she liked “the way they actually left his last name.” | Mr. Howell’s mother, Natalie Henry-Howell, told The Charlotte Observer that she liked “the way they actually left his last name.” |
| “I think he would really be appreciative of that,” she said. “Because, you know, they could have just said Ri-Lee — Jedi Ri-Lee — and we’d be guessing the whole time about whether or not” it was really her son. | “I think he would really be appreciative of that,” she said. “Because, you know, they could have just said Ri-Lee — Jedi Ri-Lee — and we’d be guessing the whole time about whether or not” it was really her son. |
| “But they put his last name in there just to really honor him,” she said, adding that she cried when she heard the news. | “But they put his last name in there just to really honor him,” she said, adding that she cried when she heard the news. |
| Mr. Howell’s father, Thomas Howell, said the family received a letter from Lucasfilm at the end of May telling them that Riley’s name would be reimagined in a book later in the “Star Wars” realm. | Mr. Howell’s father, Thomas Howell, said the family received a letter from Lucasfilm at the end of May telling them that Riley’s name would be reimagined in a book later in the “Star Wars” realm. |
| The company, unbeknown to the family, had been contacted by someone who heard of Mr. Howell’s story and passion for “Star Wars,” asking if anything could be done to honor him, he said. | The company, unbeknown to the family, had been contacted by someone who heard of Mr. Howell’s story and passion for “Star Wars,” asking if anything could be done to honor him, he said. |
| He said he forgot about it until the book was published and someone pointed out the Ri-Lee Howell entry to Ms. Westmoreland. | He said he forgot about it until the book was published and someone pointed out the Ri-Lee Howell entry to Ms. Westmoreland. |
| “Lucasfilms didn’t have to do any of this,” Mr. Howell said. “It’s a huge, wonderful gesture on their part.” | “Lucasfilms didn’t have to do any of this,” Mr. Howell said. “It’s a huge, wonderful gesture on their part.” |
| Released on Dec. 20, the new book dovetails the latest film, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which hit movie theaters that same day. | |
| Riley Howell’s family went on opening night to see the new movie, The Observer reported. They took Mr. Howell’s ashes with them and left an open seat, the newspaper said. | Riley Howell’s family went on opening night to see the new movie, The Observer reported. They took Mr. Howell’s ashes with them and left an open seat, the newspaper said. |
| Credited with saving many lives, Mr. Howell was shot at least three times as he body-slammed the gunman, giving others time to escape, and ending the deadly rampage. | Credited with saving many lives, Mr. Howell was shot at least three times as he body-slammed the gunman, giving others time to escape, and ending the deadly rampage. |
| The April 30 shooting left four students wounded and another student, 19-year-old Ellis Reed Parlier, dead. | The April 30 shooting left four students wounded and another student, 19-year-old Ellis Reed Parlier, dead. |
| In September, the gunman, Trystan Andrew Terrell, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, according to The Associated Press. | In September, the gunman, Trystan Andrew Terrell, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, according to The Associated Press. |
| He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of Mr. Howell and Mr. Parlier, The Observer reported. | He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the deaths of Mr. Howell and Mr. Parlier, The Observer reported. |