Riley Howell, who gave up his life to protect others during a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, now has a "Star Wars" character named after him.
Howell died April 30 when a gunman fired in one of the buildings at the school.
Police say he saved lives when he helped bring down the gunman.
"He took the assailant off his feet," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said after the shooting. And the heroes that we have here were able to apprehend from there."
Time magazine said his actions were honored by the naming of Ri-Lee Howell, who is a Jedi master and historian, according to the book, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – The Visual Dictionary.” The book was released on Dec. 20 to accompany the premiere of the movie “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
And ABC News noted the Jedi are described as guardians “of peace and justice.”
"We hope that you may rejoice in his memory, and we join you in honoring his life and example,” a fan relations team member for Lucasfilms wrote in a letter to Howell’s family, according to the Asheville Citizen Times.
Lauren Westmoreland, Howell's girlfriend, said: "Thank you for giving my love this best Christmas gift this year and making him part of the Star Wars universe forever.”
Westmoreland's comments came in a post on the video-sharingservice TikTok, according to ABC News.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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