Eve Carson memorial 5K draws big crowd to UNC

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (WTVD) -- A cool, overcast Saturday greeted the runners who assembled for the annual Eve Carson 5K on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus Saturday morning.

Carson was Carolina's student body president in 2008 when armed men forced her to accompany them on a night of the crime.

Police arrested Laurence Lovette and Demario Atwater after Carson's kidnapping, carjacking, and murder. Both Lovette and Atwater are now serving time for those crimes.

Organizers estimate more than a thousand people either participated in or encouraged others during the annual 5K.

"This one drew a lot of people," said UNC senior Hannah Wieler. "A lot of her family and friends from Athens are up to run the race.

We raise, money to help a scholarship raise more funds, and that scholarship goes to three juniors at UNC. It helps them develop leadership skills, it helps them work on service projects, and it helps them develop leadership skills and it helps them work with service projects. It's something we think Eve would have wanted to share!"

You could see the spirit of unity from the crowd's, especially after the campus made headlines again, with a fire and explosion at an ancient tree.

A man who tried to stamp out that fire ended up in the hospital for treatment of severe burns.

"Right! It brought the people back together, across campus as a whole," said UNC student Alex Andosek.

Michael Warren and his Phi Delta Theta Fraternity brothers helped to set up Saturday's route.

"Really pretty proud of all the people who came out! It was a great showing, for an early morning," he said.

Andrew Colton of Phi Delta Theta agreed: "It's pretty cool, just as a community, to all get-together and support the cause."