CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The victims of a fatal shooting in Chapel Hill Tuesday night were Muslim students of both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University.

Chapel Hill Police identified the victims as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, of Chapel Hill, Yusor Mohammad, 21, of Chapel Hill, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh. Barakat graduated from Broughton High School in Raleigh and Mohammad and Abu-Salha both attended Athens Drive High School in Raleigh.

Police said all three victims were shot and killed at the Finley Forest Condominiums on Summerwalk Circle. Police said Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, of Chapel Hill was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting that killed Barakat, Yusor Mohammad and her sister Razan. Hicks was being held in the Durham County Jail.

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According to an Alert Carolina message issued at 3:35 a.m. Wednesday, Barakat was a second-year student in the School of Dentistry. Yusor Mohammad , who was Barakat’s wife, had planned to attend the School of Dentistry in the fall. Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, who went to N.C. State University, was identified Yusor Mohammad’s sister.

Kaliah Sabra of the Muslim American Society said all three victims were Muslim. Sabra said she knew the victims very well and that Barakat’s parents were from Syria.

According to a YouCaring.com page, Barakat was an organizer of a Syrian Dental Relief project. The UNC School of Dentistry and the Syrian American Medical Society were also listed as organizers of the fundraiser.

In a video on the the website, Barakat talks about how he needs help from the public to raise money to provide urgent dental care to Syrian refugees in Turkey.

Barakat and the other organizers had a $20,000 goal, which they already surpassed.

Chancellor Carol Folt is expected to address the campus sometime Wednesday morning.

NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson released a statement to students and staff about the fatal shooting in Chapel Hill.

“It is with great sadness I share with you the news that the three victims of a shooting yesterday evening near the UNC Chapel Hill campus include a current and two former NC State students,” Woodson said.


Woodson said that Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha was a sophomore at NC State while her sister, Yusor Mohammad, graduated in December 2014. Woodson also said that Barakat graduated from NC State in May 2013.


“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 Mohammad and Razan Abu-Salha,” Woodson said in his statement to students and staff.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, in a statement Wednesday morning, urged police to move swiftly on the matter.

“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,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said. “Our heartfelt condolences go to the families and loved ones of the victims and to the local community.”

At 5:11 p.m. Tuesday, the Chapel Hill Police responded to the report of gunshots in the area of Summerwalk Circle. On Wednesday, police said a preliminary investigation indicated that the motive behind the shooting was an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking.
Chapel Hill Police said Hicks was cooperating with the investigation. They also said that investigators were exploring why Hicks committed “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 that is the case. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of these young people who lost their lives so needlessly,” said Chief Chris Blue of the Chapel Hill Police Department.

WNCN spoke with Mohammad Abu-Salha, the father of the two sisters, over the phone.

“We’re holding strong. Our hearts are broken. This is a hate crime and that’s how hate works,” Mohammad Abu-Salha said.

A man could be seen pleading with law enforcement on scene, demanding to know the status of his son.

“Tell me how my son is! What’s his situation? If he’s dead, tell me he’s dead! If he’s alive, tell me he’s alive! Just tell me, straight up!” the man yelled at authorities Tuesday night.

The man said he was going to go in and check on his son even if it meant he would go to jail.

Residents of the apartment complex said they were in shock following the shooting.

UNC student Kristen Boling said she was at home studying at the time of the shooting and never heard the shots.

“I’m really confused and I have been since 5:30,” Boling said.

Alert Carolina notified the UNC community shortly after 7 p.m. saying the shooting posed no ongoing threat.

Resident Daniel Waggoner said he has noticed suspicious activity recently. He said a truck had been parked outside of a building at the complex lately.

“A couple of guys were walking through the neighborhood and I’m walking my dog, like I am now, and I heard them say to get a flashlight and take a look in this truck,” Waggoner said. “I was like, ‘Hey guys,’ and saw me with the dog and sped off at about 60 miles an hour.”

Hicks is expected to make his first court appearance Wednesday at 10 a.m.

According to Carver Weaver of Durham Tech, Hicks enrolled in the school in 2012. Weaver said Hicks was seeking three certificates in paralegal studies. Weaver said Counselors describer Hicks as an “exemplary student” and almost had a 3.9 GPA.

According to a Facebook page for the victims, a vigil will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Peace and Justice Plaza in Chapel Hill.