[DAWN] Thousands of people were expected to attend a prayer service for three Moslems bumped off in North Carolina, as police investigated whether religious hatred played any role in the shooting which authorities said was sparked by a dispute over parking spaces.
The alleged shooter, Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, describes himself as a "gun toting" atheist. Neighbours say he always seemed angry and frequently confronted his neighbors, sometimes while wearing a handgun on his hip.
His ex-wife said he was obsessed with the shooting-rampage movie "Falling Down," and showed "no compassion at all" for other people. The killings are fuelling outrage among people who blame anti-Moslem rhetoric for hate crimes.
A Moslem advocacy organization pressed authorities to investigate possible religious bias. Many posted social media updates with the hashtags (hash)MoslemLivesMatter and (hash)CallItTerrorism.
About 2,000 people attended a candlelight vigil for the victims in the heart of UNC's campus on Wednesday evening. "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 in an email. |