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Riley Howell, hero student in UNCC shooting is being honored as a 'Star Wars' Jedi
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/25/us/star-wars-character-riley-howell-trnd/index.html
By Madeline Holcombe, CNN
Updated 0742 GMT (1542 HKT) December 25, 2019
(CNN) A hero of this galaxy is now also a hero of one far, far away.
The makers of Star Wars have created a character in honor of Riley Howell, according to CNN affiliate WLOS.
Howell was a 21-year-old ROTC cadet and student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He died in April while tackling a gunman on campus.
Authorities have said that Howell saved the lives of others when he charged the shooter who had opened fire with a pistol in a classroom.
A spokesperson from Lucasfilm said a family from his hometown told them about Howell and this was their way of helping, according to WLOS.
The character -- named Ri-Lee Howell -- is described in the Star Wars fan site as a Jedi Master and historian of the Jedi Order who collected accounts of explorations of the Force. His character was first mentioned in a 2019 reference book that accompanied this year's film "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker," the site said.
"That's what everybody was saying. He's a Jedi master and he's a hero," Lauren Westmoreland, who was Howell's girlfriend, told WLOS.
</snip>
By Madeline Holcombe, CNN
Updated 0742 GMT (1542 HKT) December 25, 2019
(CNN) A hero of this galaxy is now also a hero of one far, far away.
The makers of Star Wars have created a character in honor of Riley Howell, according to CNN affiliate WLOS.
Howell was a 21-year-old ROTC cadet and student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He died in April while tackling a gunman on campus.
Authorities have said that Howell saved the lives of others when he charged the shooter who had opened fire with a pistol in a classroom.
A spokesperson from Lucasfilm said a family from his hometown told them about Howell and this was their way of helping, according to WLOS.
The character -- named Ri-Lee Howell -- is described in the Star Wars fan site as a Jedi Master and historian of the Jedi Order who collected accounts of explorations of the Force. His character was first mentioned in a 2019 reference book that accompanied this year's film "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker," the site said.
"That's what everybody was saying. He's a Jedi master and he's a hero," Lauren Westmoreland, who was Howell's girlfriend, told WLOS.
</snip>
What an awesome gesture!
1 replies
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