They say Craig Stephen Hicks hated religion and that he was riled at the sight of his Muslim neighborstwo of them young women who wore hijabs.
When he allegedly killed Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; Yusor Mohammad, 21; and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, it had the hallmark of a summary execution — shots fired to the victims’ heads.
But police in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, say the Tuesday evening shooting appeared to be fueled by rage over a parking space. Hicks’ wife says it was a neighborly dispute.
Some allege there’s a double standard at play here. They say that if the situation was reversed, law enforcement and the media wouldn’t hesitate to call it a hate crime or a terrorist act.
When is something a hate crime?
It’s a hate crime when violence is tinted with discrimination.
The FBI defines it as “a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias.”
That bias can go, among other things, against race, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
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It’s been two days since the attacks, and the investigation is far from complete.
As details about the case are still emerging, a lot of questions persist. The FBI is assisting police. And Chapel Hill authorities aren’t ruling out any options.
“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,” Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said.
But in the end, does a motive really matter?
Barry Saunders, writing in the News and Observer, put it best.
“If the deaths resulted from a hate crime, it is an international tragedy.
“If the deaths came simply because a man was consumed with a general hate for all humanity — heck, then it’s still an international tragedy. Because people all over the world have now been deprived of the services Deah, Yusor and Razan would have rendered unto them.”
CNN’s Jason Carroll contributed to this report.
