Rold described his grandson as autistic and socially reserved . He said Terrell dreamed of working in South America , and taught himself French and Portuguese with the aid of a language learning program Rold had bought for him . According to Rold , his grandson never showed any interest in firearms or other weapons , and that Terrell 's actions were those of " someone foreign to me . This is not in his DNA . " He further said his grandson was critical of American gun culture , saying it was too easy for people to obtain firearms in the United States , and that his grandson had specifically referenced New Zealand 's crackdown on guns following the Christchurch mosque shootings . Rold described his grandson as " not bubbly and effervescent , rather shy , quiet , studious , not athletic , " though he had tried to introduce his grandson to baseball and golf , with no success . Rold said he blamed lax gun laws for making firearms too easy to obtain , and that if his grandson " had not been able to secure a weapon , this would never have happened . " He did not believe his grandson had a mental illness which would have disposed him to commit violence , " but then I ’m not a psychologist . You would never have believed this could have happened , that he would have done something like this . " From the fall of 2015 through the spring of 2018 , Terrell was enrolled at Central Piedmont Community College where he studied for an associate 's degree in science . Transferring to UNC Charlotte in the fall of 2018 , he enrolled in three university courses for the 2019 spring semester , including Johnson 's , and attended classes in the room where he allegedly committed the shooting . According to Johnson , between enrolling in and withdrawing from his course , Terrell " engaged with the course material " and " asked questions about the lessons , answered questions that I pose to the class . It was completely typical . " Cooper Creech , a former classmate in the same course , said Terrell rarely spoke in the classroom , but would " blurt out statements " and sometimes seemed oddly angry . After Terrell left his course , Johnson said that he subsequently met him on campus and " conveyed that it was a shame that he had to leave the course " , but that he understood the importance of students needing to prioritize . According to Johnson , that was his last encounter with him prior to the shooting . Nick Brooks , a student who was taking a study break outside the Kennedy Building when he saw Terrell enter , recognized him from commuting on the Lynx Blue Line light rail ; Brooks heard the sound of gunshots seconds later . He further said he had encountered Terrell at his NoDa apartment complex outside the school , recalling " He was in the elevator and the doors were closing and he was just staring at me . You could tell something was up with him . It ’s like he had no emotions . " According to David Spano , the university 's director of counseling and psychological services , though his office had a team to monitor " students of concern , " Terrell had not been monitored at any point before he withdrew from the university
Christchurch mosque shootings
Christchurch mosque shootings
University of North Carolina at Charlotte shooting