Much of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is grieving at vigils and prayer services after three students were found shot to death. But for Mohammad Abu-Salha, that has to wait. He needs to share with the world how wonderful the three were, how they left a light in their lives.
Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, and Yusor Mohammad, 21, were his daughters. Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, was his son-in-law.
Their killing Tuesday had the hallmark of a summary execution — shots fired to their heads. A neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, turned himself in to police the same night and has been charged with murder.
He has no prior criminal record and is cooperating with the investigation, police said.
911: Gunfire, screams
In the condominium complex where newlyweds lived, people heard gunfire and dialed 911. One caller heard five to 10 bangs and screaming, but she didn’t know from which apartment.
Another caller thought she walked right past it, when the shooting started.
“I heard about eight shots go off in the apartment,” she said. “More than one girl screaming. And then there was nothing, and then I heard about three more shots go off. … I hid behind a car. … I never heard gunshots before like that.”
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“Let’s pray in every language … for these beautiful souls,” said another speaker.
Dentistry, charity
Razan Abu-Salha was studying architecture. Barakat and Mohammad were on their way to becoming dentists and loved charity work. Barakat was raising money for a dentistry aid trip to help Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The couple also fed the homeless and hungry in downtown Raleigh “many times a year,” Mohammad Abu-Salha said. “They cooked loads of food.”
“They came heartbroken to tell me how many grown men they’ve seen, standing in line, waiting for a bite,” he said.
On Thursday, mourning will continue with a Janazah — or funeral — prayer at in the afternoon at Raleigh’s Islamic Center, followed by an evening candlelight vigil at North Carolina State University.
“These three children were loved by thousands and thousands of people here,” Abu-Salha said. “They’re raised here, they belong here, they died here, and they will be buried here, and we have a story to tell all our lives.”
CNN’s Jason Carroll, Evan Perez, Tina Burnside, Rick Martin, Melodi Smith, Tony Marco and Jeremy Grisham contributed to this report.
