One NC State student and two alumni were killed in Chapel Hill Tuesday in a small neighborhood near Meadowmont south of N.C. 54.
According to Chapel Hill Police the victims were Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, a sophomore environmental architecture student at NC State; her sister Yusor Mohammad, 21, a December 2014 graduate; and Yusor’s husband, Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, who was a May 2013 NC State graduate and second-year student at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. Yusor was set to attend the School of Dentistry in August.
Police have charged Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, of Chapel Hill, with three counts of first-degree murder.
Hicks, who was a neighbor of the couple, is currently being held at the Durham County Jail without bond after Chief District Court Judge Marcia Morey denied him bail Wednesday morning and set a probable cause hearing for March 4.
A preliminary investigation by the Chapel Hill Police indicated the crime was motivated by an ongoing parking dispute between the neighbors. A Wednesday release from the department said Hicks is cooperating with investigators and that more information was forthcoming.
Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said “Our investigators are exploring what could have motivated Mr. Hicks to commit such a senseless and tragic act. We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated and we will exhaust every lead to determine if this is the case.”
Many from NC State, the Triangle and around the globe took to social media to express their grief and condolences. A Facebook page, Our Three Winners, was created early Wednesday morning to share the news and memories of the three students. (https://www.facebook.com/ourthreewinners)
NC State’s Counseling Center has counselors available to assist students, staff or faculty members, according to a statement from Chancellor Randy Woodson sent out to students Wednesday Morning.
Counselors will be available 1-4 p.m. Wednesday in the One Earth Lounge for drop-in counseling.
There will be a vigil at UNC-Chapel Hill tonight in the Peace & Justice Plaza at 7 p.m. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend. NC State administrators and the transportation department were coordinating efforts Wednesday afternoon to bus students to the vigil Wednesday night.
The Muslim Student Association is also offering rides to the vigil.
Following the funeral, MSA will hold another vigil at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Brickyard.
“On behalf of the entire NC State community, I’d like to extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammed and Razan Abu-Salha,” Woodson said in a statement.
Stay tuned to technicianonline.com to learn more.
