On April 22, 2020, eight days prior to the one-year anniversary of a campus shooting on UNC Charlotte’s campus that claimed two lives and injured four others, the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners approved by a unanimous vote a proclamation naming April 30, 2020, “A Day of Remembrance” throughout the county.
At the meeting, in which attendees participated virtually due to the statewide coronavirus-related shelter-in-place order, the proclamation was presented “to honor and recognize the heroes and victims of the 2019 UNC Charlotte mass shooting, to recognize the spirit and resilience of the community and to allow residents and students to pay tribute to the people who were lost during this tragedy and bring awareness to gun violence in our community.”
The entire proclamation was read aloud by Chairman George Dunlap ‘91, ‘03 MPA shortly after he called the meeting to order. In response to his call for a motion for a vote to approve the resolution, Vice Chairman Elaine Powell moved to do so; Commissioner Susan Rodriguez McDowell ‘89 seconded immediately.
Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, speaking upon conclusion of the board’s vote, noted his pride that three commissioners are alumni of UNC Charlotte; Chairman Dunlap and Commissioners Rodriguez McDowell and Susan Harden ‘93.
Acknowledging Chairman Dunlap as well as County Manager Dena Diorio, Dubois noted the “tremendous support the University received from the city, the state, the nation and, indeed, from across the world” at the time of the tragedy, which he admitted “seems like yesterday, with the pain as real today as it was the day it happened.” In his remarks, he thanked all county services that provided immediate and sustained assistance: the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office; MEDIC, the county’s EMS service; and the County Manager’s Office, in particular.
Dubois remarked that since the shooting, he has remained in weekly contact with the families of Riley Howell and Reed Parlier, the students who were killed. He added that the upcoming April 30 “Evening of Remembrance,” a virtual program that will “in some small way help us not forget this significant day in our history,” has been designed to honor the memories of Howell and Parlier, and acknowledge the sacrifice of Rami Alrmadhan, Sean DeHart, Emily Haupt and Drew Pescaro, who suffered injuries, and the experience of all who were in the classroom.
“United: A Remembrance Program” will be available by live stream on UNC Charlotte’s Facebook and Twitter accounts beginning at 5:10 p.m., Thursday, April 30. It will feature representatives of the Student Government Association, key University administrators, and several faculty members and alumni who are sharing their artistic talents in a variety of genres, as well as a special appearance by CBS News correspondent and alumnus Don Dahler ‘91. It will conclude at 5:40 p.m., the time of the shooting on April 30, 2019. In its originally planned format, a live program was to take place at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. Dubois stated, “COVID-19 derailed that plan.”