N. Carolina man charged with murder of Muslim students

Police arrested and charged Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, with three counts of first-degree murder Tuesday for the shooting deaths of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in what police said appeared to be a dispute over parking.

Hicks, who is being held at the Durham County Jail in North Carolina, was expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday morning.
The victims – a man, his wife and her sister – were found after police responded to a report of gunshots at around 5:15pm on Tuesday. The three, who were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; Yusor Mohammad, 21; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our preliminary investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbour dispute over parking,” police said in a statement. “Hicks is cooperating with investigators and more information may be released at a later time.”

Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said in a statement: “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.”
US Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina Ripley Rand said on Wednesday that the shootings were “not part of a targeted campaign against Muslims”.
Hicks has described himself as a "gun-toting'' atheist. Neighbours say he always seemed angry and was frequently confrontational.
His ex-wife said he was obsessed with the shooting-rampage movie "Falling
Down'' and showed "no compassion at all'' for other people.
'Quiet community'
Barakat and Mohammad were married, and Abu-Salha was Mohammad’s sister, according to the University of North Carolina (UNC).
Barakat was a second-year dental student there, and Yusor was scheduled to begin dental studies in the fall. Abu-Salha was a student at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, according to UNC.
The neighbourhood where they were found consists mostly of rental apartments and condominiums.
“It’s a very quiet community,” resident Bethany Boring told WRAL-TV. “It’s a lot of graduate and professional students. You know, professional families.”
Muslim activists demanded that authorities investigate a possible motive of religious hatred for the killings of the students, who were all involved in humanitarian aid programmes.
A Facebook community – Our Three Winners – has been set up for posts about the three students.
"Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha and Razan Abu-Salha have returned to their Lord," the site's creators state. "They have set an example in life and in death."
The site features a photo of the three smiling at what appears to be graduation ceremony.
Barakat's brother Farris mourned the deaths, writing "it doesn't make sense" on his own Facebook page.
"Please pray for them, their friends, and the family. I haven't even begun to fully comprehend what has happened. But I know for sure those three together have done so much we are all proud of," Farris Barakat wrote.