Charlotte: A college student hailed by police as a hero for preventing more injuries and deaths after a gunman opened fire in a classroom has now been immortalised as a Jedi by the production company for the Star Wars franchise.

The family of Riley Howell, a University of North Carolina student who was described as a huge Star Wars fan, was tipped off by Lucasfilm in May that it planned to honour him in a forthcoming book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - The Visual Dictionary.

The book was released by publisher DK to coincide with the release of the new film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Riley Howell died in April when a gunman opened fire in a classroom on UNCC's Charlotte campus.

In May, the fan relations team for Lucasfilm wrote a letter to Howell's family expressing condolences.