Three Muslim students were shot to death at their apartment last night by 46-year-old Craig Hicks. The incident took place near UNC Chapel Hill, where one of the victims was attending their dentistry school, and Hicks turned himself into authorities later that night.
UPDATE: This morning Chapel Hill police intimated that the altercation may have originally stemmed from a dispute over parking spots, but they are continuing to look into other possible motives. Hicks is also said to be cooperating with investigators.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; Yusor Mohammad, 21; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 were all found shot in the head a their condominium, a housing complex home to many of the university’s students. Although the motive behind the shooting has yet to be unveiled, based on Hicks previous Facebook rants, various media outlets believe that the students’ faith played a major role.
Chapel Hill police chief Chris Blue told CNN that his “investigators are exploring what could have motivated Mr. Hicks to commit such a senseless and tragic act,” and understand the community’s concerns about this being a possible hate crime.
Readers took to Twitter to release their frustrations and pay tribute to the victims:
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
