(CHAPEL HILL, NC) — Three Muslim-American students were shot to death at the residential complex of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Tuesday.
Police say Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was arrested and charged with killing the students.
The victims, all shot in the head, were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, and his wife, Yusor Mohammad, 21, of Chapel Hill, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh, police said.
The father of two of the victims called the shooting a “hate crime” based on their Islamic faith. But Chapel Hill police said that “preliminary investigation indicates the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking,” according to a statement posted online.
“We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated and we will exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case,” the statement said, quoting Police Chief Chris Blue.
Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt called the killings a “senseless and tragic act surrounding a long-standing dispute.”
“I share strong feelings of outrage and shock with my fellow citizens and university students — as well as concerned people everywhere,” he said. “We do not know whether anti-Muslim bias played a role in this crime, but I do recognize the fear that members of our community may feel. Chapel Hill is a place for everyone, a place where Muslim lives matter.”
On the UNC campus Wednesday night, several thousand people attended a candlelight vigil in memory of the students. In Raleigh, a moment of silence was planned during the North Carolina St. vs Virginia basketball game, according to Chancellor Randy Woodson.
Hicks, who turned himself in to authorities, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the fatal shootings. His Facebook profile boasts a page called “Atheists for Equality” where he frequently published posts critical of religion.
The hashtag #ChapelHillShooting and #MuslimLivesMatter were trending on Twitter just a few hours after the shooting, including several thousand tweets criticizing Western media for not covering the shooting.