My son was on the campus of UNC-Charlotte on April 30 when a shooter came onto campus, entered a classroom and shot six people. Two died – Riley Howell, who attacked the shooter and sacrificed himself to save others, and Ellis Reed Parlier, a young computer science student. Their lives were cut short by gun violence.
I got an email from the school letting me know that there was an active shooter situation on campus with the typical “Run, Hide or Fight” message. I texted my son, and it was a tense 10 minutes until I heard from him. We stayed in touch the rest of the evening. He was on lockdown for hours, and it was late when he finally got home. I didn’t rest until I knew he was back at his apartment, and I spent most of the night crying.
I cried for him, but I also cried for the six that had been shot. One of them was a friend of his. She survived, but she and the others will always bear the scars.
This is only one of the million reasons why I fight to end gun violence. I #KeepGoing and I will never stop.