His wife, who attorneys said is in the process of getting a divorce, described her husband as someone who believes everyone is equal. Karen Hicks told CNN affiliate WTVD, something inside his head must have snapped before the shooting.
Neighbors told reporters that Craig Hicks was known for angrily confronting people over everything from loud music to parking issues in the area. One described him as someone who showed “equal opportunity anger.” At one point last year, the situation got so bad neighbors organized a meeting “to talk about how he kind of made everyone feel uncomfortable and unsafe,” she said.
But the victims’ families said there’s no question religion was behind the gunman’s decision to pull the trigger.
“We have no doubt that the way they looked and the way they believed had something to do with this,” said Mohammad Abu-Salha, whose two daughters were killed in the shooting.
Facebook footprint
A Facebook page that is believed to belong to Hicks includes many posts that are critical of religion, particularly Christianity.
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Asked whether she thought the shooting had anything to do with religion, Maness said Hicks displayed “equal opportunity anger.”
“I have seen and heard him be very unfriendly to a lot of people in this community,” she said.
“He was very angry, anytime I saw him,” she told WRAL.
When is a crime a ‘hate crime’?
CNN’s Eric Fiegel, Jean Casarez, Daniel Burke and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.
