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Man Charged in Deaths of 3 Students Near University of North Carolina
By MARK S. GETZFREDFEB. 11, 2015
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Police officers in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Tuesday. The authorities reported that the three victims were pronounced dead at the scene. CreditAl Drago/NCRAL, via Associated Press
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Police officials in Chapel Hill, N.C., said on Wednesday that a man had been arrested in the shooting deaths of three Muslim students at a condominium complex near the University of North Carolina campus.
The Chapel Hill police said that Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He is being held at the Durham County Jail.
The victims were identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, of Chapel Hill; his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. All three were students: Mr. Barakat was in his second year at North Carolina’s school of dentistry and his wife, a North Carolina State graduate, was enrolled to start there in the fall. Her sister was also a student at North Carolina State University.
The police statement said that the shooting had occurred around 5 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill. All three people were pronounced dead at the scene, the police said, and while officials did not identify a motive, messages from friends on social media clearly identified the three victims as Muslims, leading some to question whether they might have been targeted for their faith.
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Craig Stephen Hicks is being held at the Durham County Jail. CreditDurham County Sheriff's Office, via Associated PressThe news of the killings spread quickly through the Muslim community worldwide, with many expressing grief and outrage. On Wednesday morning, many of the victims’ friends turned to Facebook, creating a page called Our Three Winners, to share memories and photos of the slain students.
Several of the Facebook posts showed images of Mr. Barakat and Ms. Abu-Salha at their wedding, which was about a month ago. Others highlighted Razan Abu-Salha’s artistic talents, noting that she had won an award at North Carolina State University for capturing 3D abstract model-making with a time-lapse video.
“It sorrows us all to see what has happened here today,” the creators of the page wrote, adding: “Their faith meant a lot to them, and it is in fact what helps us all feel at peace with the tragedy of their murder.”
Under the Twitter hashtag #muslimlivesmatter, — a social media tag reminiscent of the #BlackLivesMatter tag after the killings of African-Americans at the hands of the police — many friends and supporters paid tribute to the trio and raised concern about the safety of Muslims in the United States, an issue also raised by the head of the Council of American-Islamic Relations.
“Based on the brutal nature of this crime, the past anti-religion statements of the alleged perpetrator, the religious attire of two of the victims, and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case,” the national executive director, Nihad Awad, said. “Our heartfelt condolences go to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the local community.”
The University of North Carolina issued a statement saying that it was “sensitive to the impact an incident of this nature has on campus and in the community,” and said it would make counseling available to students.
“We understand you want to know the facts as quickly as possible,” the university said. But “we must respect the job our Chapel Hill police have as they investigate this crime.”
The chancellor of the university, Carol L. Folt, was expected to make a statement later Wednesday.
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