CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ University of North Carolina at Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois on Thursday announced plans for an independent, external review of the response to this week's campus shooting in which two students were killed and four were injured.
A former student has been charged with two counts of murder after Tuesday's shooting inside a UNC Charlotte classroom. Trystan Andrew Terrell, 22, was scheduled to appear in court for the first time Thursday afternoon but waived his right to appear before a judge.
Terrell was apprehended soon after police say he opened fire in a "Science, Technology and Society" class. Public defender Mike Kabakoff was appointed as Terrell's attorney.
In a statement Thursday, Dubois said campus safety remains his top concern and that UNC Charlotte's lockdown response to the shooting was immediate after law enforcement officials were notified.
The shooting took place on the last day of classes for UNC Charlotte, just as the campus was getting ready for a Waka Flocka Flame concert. The concert was canceled.
Dubois commended the bravery of first responders, who "were running toward the sound of gunshots and administering first aid to the injured and dying."
Still, Dubois said he wants an "extensive" review "to look at what went well and to examine and address areas for improvement."
A UNCC spokeswoman could not immediately provide details about the review.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Chief Kerr Putney, too, has praised first responders. And on Wednesday, Putney called victim Riley Howell, 21, a hero Wednesday, saying he tackled the shooter and knocked him down, likely saving lives. Howell and Ellis Parlier, 19, died in the shooting.
All of the injured students are expected to recover, according to police and UNC Charlotte officials.
Howell's funeral will be Sunday in the Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. Funeral arrangements for Parlier were not yet finalized Thursday afternoon.
After a brief hearing Thursday in which Kabakoff appeared before Judge Ronald Chapman on Terrell's behalf, a spokeswoman for the Mecklenburg County district attorney's office said the next appearance may be May 15, for a bond hearing.
North Carolina law leaves bond decisions in the hands of judges. Bonds in first-degree murder cases, while rare, are not prohibited.
But, if Terrell is indicted on murder charges before May 15, his case will be transferred to superior court and his court date would change, said district attorney spokeswoman Meghan McDonald.
In addition to the two murder charges for the deaths of Howell and Parlier, Terrell has been charged with four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, discharging a firearm on educational property and possessing a gun on educational property, according to jail records.
The rest of the students in the class and lecturer Adam Johnson managed to escape, joining dozens of other people on campus who hid or barricaded themselves in safe spaces to survive.
In other developments:
_ CMPD officers in four marked police cars escorted the vehicle with Howell's body to his hometown of Waynesville on Thursday morning.
_ University officials said 7,500 people attended a campus vigil Wednesday night. UNCC officially returned to standard operations later that night, although the final exam schedule has been shifted due to the shooting.
_ Graduation ceremonies will take place mostly as scheduled, according to the university.
_ UNCC on Wednesday launched a crowdfunding group "to support the victims and the UNC Charlotte community during this time of tragedy." Donations of any dollar amount may be made online at the UNCC Niner Nation Unites page, or by calling (704) 687-7211.
