Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are mourning the death of three Muslim students who were slain Tuesday evening. Craig Stephen Hicks was arrested for the shooting death of the students, and local reports say the altercation was possibly started by an argument over parking.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21 and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 were the victim of Hicks’ rampage. Hicks, 46, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder after turning himself in.
Local outlet WRAL.com has more:
Chapel Hill police said Wednesday that an ongoing dispute over parking may have led to a triple shooting Tuesday night at a condominium complex on Summerwalk Circle.
Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife, Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19.
Hicks turned himself in to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Pittsboro following the shooting, which happened in the Finley Forest complex off Barbee Chapel Road shortly after 5 p.m.
All three victims were shot in the head, sources said.
WRAL reports that Hicks espoused atheist rhetoric on his Facebook page, with some speculation that the students’ faith was a factor in the shooting. Chapel Hill Police say they intend to look into the matter to see if hate motivated Hicks to commit the act.
Hicks is being held in the Durham County Jail. Authorities say that Hicks has been cooperative in the ongoing investigation.
According to a school statement, Barakat was a second-year dental student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and his wife married last December.
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Photo: WRAL
