From the Herald-Sun:
The Chapel Hill Police Department is responding to a national advocacy group’s call to release a motive in the slaying of three Muslim students in Chapel Hill on Feb. 10.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement Feb. 11 calling for the police to comment on speculation that the deaths of Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were hate crimes committed by a neighbor.
“Based on the brutal nature of this crime, the past anti-religion statements of the alleged perpetrator, the religious attire of two of the victims, and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric in American society, we urge state and federal law enforcement authorities to quickly address speculation of a possible bias motive in this case,” said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad in the statement.
Chapel Hill police believe an ongoing dispute over parking played a roll [sic] in the slayings.
“Our investigators are exploring what could have motivated Mr. Hicks to commit such a senseless and tragic act. 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,” said Chapel Hill Chief of Police Chris Blue in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families and friends of these young people who lost their lives so needlessly.”