UNC Charlotte students, supporters raise gun violence questions, call others to action

RALEIGH, NC -- It was 5:40 p.m. on a Tuesday in classroom 236 of the Kennedy Building when the world turned upside down for Megan Beach and her UNC Charlotte classmates.

Two students — Riley Howell, 21, and Ellis “Reed’’ Parlier, 19, — would not survive the day, killed by another student. Four other students were wounded. Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22, is facing multiple charges.

Beach’s knee, injured as she fled the hail of bullets, has healed, but her “soul is still scarred,” she said. She still hears gunshots in her sleep, she told about 40 people gathered Saturday near the N.C. General Assembly for an End the Violence rally.

“In a matter of seconds, my life was changed forever,” she said. “All we wanted was to go to class, but now we’re graduating with PTSD and a deep fear every time we don’t see a clear exit.”

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