Three Muslim students dead in North Carolina shooting as suspect arrested

A 46-year-old man has been charged in connection with the murder of three Muslim university students on Tuesday night in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Police have charged Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, of Chapel Hill, with three counts of first degree murder. Hicks, who turned himself in, is being held in the Durham County jail.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, was arrested on three counts of murder early on Wednesday. Photograph: AP

The victims are Deah Barakat, 23; his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21; and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19. Barakat was a second-year dental student at the University of North Carolina, where his wife was planning to begin her dental studies in the autumn. Her sister was a student at North Carolina State University.

Shafi Khan, founder of the Alexandria, Virginia-based group United Muslim Relief, to which all three victims belonged, said the organisation was broken-hearted at the news.

“These guys were the best of the best,” Khan said. “There’s just no other way to put it.”

UNC chancellor Carol Folt is expected to make a statement on Wednesday. In a statement, the university said: “We are sensitive to the impact an incident of this nature has on campus and in the community. We understand you want to know the facts as quickly as possible. At the same time, we must respect the job our Chapel Hill police have as they investigate this crime.”

Chapel Hill police have given no indication yet of a possible motive, but overnight news of the three deaths gave gave life to the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter – a social media rallying cry reminiscent of the #BlackLivesMatter movement following multiple killings across the US in the last six months.