Police in the U.S. state of North Carolina say three people were shot to death over a parking dispute near a university.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, faces first degree murder charges in the slayings of Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh.  The three victims, all Muslim, were found dead Tuesday in an apartment complex outside the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

“Our preliminary investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbor 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.”

Hicks had posted anti-religious statements on social media.

Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, wants police to look into potential religious reasons.

“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,” Awad said.

The hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter was trending nationally on Twitter early on Wednesday, with many postings discussing the shooting. It is also  trending in the United Kingdom and other countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and and several other Middle Eastern countries. 

A University of North Carolina statement said police responded to a report of gunshots at 5:11 p.m. local time Tuesday and found the three victims, who were all pronounced dead at the scene.

The university newspaper describes a heartwrenching scene Tuesday night, as family members arrived at the apartment building where the victims were found, begging police for information. “It’s been hours! Just tell me if he’s alive!” one man cried out.

The university said that Barakat was a second-year student at its dentistry school, his wife was planning on starting there in the fall, while her sister was a student at North Carolina State University.

Hicks is being held at the Durham County Jail, the statement said.

Some material for this report came from Reuters
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