Riley Howell, one of the two students slain in a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, was a "hero" whose "sacrifice saved lives," according to police.
Howell "took the assailant off his feet," allowing officers to step in and apprehend him, according to Putney.
Without him, "the assailant may not have been disarmed," Putney said.
"Riley was truly a one of a kind guy," his family said in a statement. "He loved all things outdoors, adventure, and especially family. He loved to work outside and when he worked, he did it with his hands and his heart. He always was able to put others before himself and never hesitated to help anyone who needed it. He was friends with anyone and everyone--a big, muscular guy with a huge heart."
"He was the kind of person who you knew would take care of you the moment you met him, and he always did," his family said. He radiated love and always will. "
"Riley was an incredible young man," Brian Feid, a former high school social studies teacher, said in a statement. "If one tried to describe him, he was a lover of just about everything outdoors. Inside the building, he was an unfailingly kind person and for those of us lucky enough to call him a friend, he was fiercely loyal. He rarely had a frown upon his face, instead, he smiled and brought joy to those around him at all times."
"He was honest, especially with himself. When he made mistakes, he did not make excuses; he would just smile, shrug his shoulders, admit his mistake, and then do better," Feid said. "His giving spirit will be truly missed, and we were lucky to have him in our lives, however short a time that that might have been."