CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — A 46-year old man was arrested and charged in the fatal shooting of three students at a quiet condominium complex near the University of North Carolina campus, the police said on Wednesday, in what may have been a lethal escalation of a neighborhood parking dispute.
The three victims, one man and two women, were Muslims of Arab descent, and photos on Facebook show the two women wearing head scarves, leading to speculation on Twitter and Facebook, much of it with the hashtag #muslimlives matter, that the killings might have been a hate crime.
But a statement released by the Chapel Hill police said, “Our preliminary investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking,” adding that the man arrested, Craig Stephen Hicks, was “cooperating with investigators.”
–
“We understand you want to know the facts as quickly as possible,” the university said. But “we must respect the job our Chapel Hill police have as they investigate this crime.”
The chancellor of the university, Carol L. Folt, was expected to make a statement later Wednesday.
Jonathan M. Katz reported from Chapel Hill, N.C., and Richard Pérez-Peña from New York.
