On Tuesday afternoon 3 member of a Muslim family were found dead in Chapel Hill, North Carolina near the UNC Chapel Hill Campus. Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19 were killed by their neighbor Craig Stephan Hicks, a known atheist.
The question that authorities are trying to answer is whether or not this was a hate crime. Today, police are arguing that this was in fact a response to a growing conflict regarding parking.
But the public is not pleased with this response. Hicks is knowns for his strong atheist Facebook posts and killed the young family execution style, using a bullet to the head.
The father of the young wife argues that Hicks was known to pick on the family and express negative sentiments regarding her head scarf.
Whether or not Hicks is found responsible for committing a hate crime against the Muslim community, this shooting has stirred fear amongst the Muslim community, and because of this, this attack should be considered a disaster. The damage this incident has cased, the loss of three lives and the intense fear and anti-Muslim sentiment among community members, can never be reversed and is why Hicks actions should be taken as a disaster.
Right now Hicks is being charged with three counts of first degree murder, so at this point, only time will tell what exactly his motive was.
References
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/11/three-students-shot-dead-near-unc-chapel-hill.html
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