Three Muslim Students Shot Dead at Chapel Hill Over Possible Parking Dispute; Their Killer, Craig Stephen Hicks, Arrested and Charged

MStars News has learned that a man was charged with killing three Muslim students in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

According to ABC 11, police have arrested Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, with three counts of first-degree murder after he shot three students, and then drove into Chatham County, surrendering to the authorities in Pittsboro.

The three victims that were pronounced dead are Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, who was married to second victim Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, all from nearby Raleigh, North Carolina.

A photo posted by The Shade Room (@theshaderoominc) on Feb 11, 2015 at 9:54am PST

The news station revealed that all three were shot in the head on Tuesday afternoon, near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

One caller claims they heard eight gunshots fired, as well as screams.

Listen to the 911 call below.

According to The Washington Post, police believe there was a dispute over parking though some, including the victims family members believed it was the fact the three students were Muslim.

According to Hicks' Facebook account he considered himself to be "anti-theist."

"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. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of these young people who lost their lives so needlessly," the Chief Chris Blue of the Chapel Hill Police Department said in a statement.

"The Chapel Hill Police Department has requested the assistance of the FBI to process evidence in a triple homicide investigation. It is standard practice for our state and local law enforcement partners to enlist the expertise and resources of the FBI as needed," FBI spokesperson revealed.

Karen Hicks, the shooter's wife, and her attorney said they don't think the shooting was due to a hate crime, or religion.

"This incident had nothing to do with religion or the victim's faiths," Karen said during a press conference with media.

The Hicks have been married for seven years, and Karen claims they were having issues with parking for a long time.

"It has nothing to do with terrorism. It has nothing to do with anything but the mundane issue of this man being frustrated day in and day out and not being able to park where he wanted to park," The Hicks attorney Rob Maitland noted. "These victims were there at the wrong time and wrong place."

A family member of the three victims spoke out as well, see the video below.