2015 Chapel Hill shooting

2015 Chapel Hill shooting
Summerwalk Circle, the street where the shooting took place
2015 Chapel Hill shooting is located in North Carolina
Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
2015 Chapel Hill shooting (North Carolina)
2015 Chapel Hill shooting is located in the United States
2015 Chapel Hill shooting
2015 Chapel Hill shooting (the United States)
LocationChapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates35°53′48.8″N 79°0′32.1″W / 35.896889°N 79.008917°W / 35.896889; -79.008917
DateFebruary 10, 2015 (2015-02-10)
c. 5:15 p.m. (EST)
Attack type
Triple-murder by shooting,[1][2] execution-style murders, home invasion
WeaponsSIG Sauer P229 .357-caliber semi-automatic handgun[3]
Deaths3[4]
PerpetratorCraig Stephen Hicks[5]
VerdictPleaded guilty
ConvictionsFirst-degree murder (3 counts)
SentenceThree consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole

On February 10, 2015, Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were killed in their home in Finley Forest Condominiums on Summerwalk Circle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Barakat was a second-year student in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, his wife Yusor was a North Carolina State University (NCSU) graduate planning to enter UNC Dentistry School in the fall, and her sister Razan was a student at NCSU majoring in architecture and environmental design.[6]

Their neighbor, Craig Stephen Hicks, who killed the three people in a single attack,[7] turned himself in to Chapel Hill police later that day and was arrested.[8][9][10][11] On February 10, the Chapel Hill Police Department stated that their "preliminary investigation indicates that the crime was motivated by an ongoing neighbor dispute over parking. Hicks is cooperating with investigators." Hicks was charged with three counts of first-degree murder.[12]

On February 16, Hicks was indicted by a Durham County grand jury on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Department of Justice also launched their own investigations into the shooting.[13][14] Federal authorities could not find sufficient evidence to charge Hicks with a hate crime.[15][16] The trial was scheduled to take place in the summer of 2019.[17] On June 12, 2019, Hicks pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment.[16][18][19]

  1. ^ "Chapel Hill shootings: North Carolina man charged". BBC. No. February 11, 2015. BBC. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  2. ^ "The Chapel Hill shooting: White male atheist murders three Muslim students". New Statesman. No. February 11, 2015. February 11, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  3. ^ "Man charged with killing 3 Muslims can face death penalty". Yahoo! News. April 6, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  4. ^ "3 killed in Chapel Hill shooting, man charged". Fox8. No. February 10, 2015. Fox8. February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  5. ^ Ahmed, Saeed (February 11, 2015). "3 Muslim students shot to death in apartment near UNC Chapel Hill". CNN. No. February 11, 2015. CNN. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  6. ^ Staff of the Daily Tar Heel (February 11, 2015). "Here's what we know about the triple homicide in Chapel Hill". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  7. ^ "Three Muslims killed in shooting near UNC; police, family argue over motive". Washington Post. February 11, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  8. ^ Withnall, Adam (February 11, 2015). "Chapel Hill shooting: Three young Muslims gunned down in North Carolina family home". The Independent. No. February 11, 2015. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  9. ^ Clay, Arielle (February 11, 2015). "Three killed in Chapel Hill shooting; 46-year-old man charged". wral. No. February 10, 2015. wral. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  10. ^ West, Holly (February 11, 2015). "3 people dead in Chapel Hill shooting". dailytarheel. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference father was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Chapel Hill Police Investigate Multiple Homicide on Summerwalk Circle". Town of Chapel Hill. February 11, 2015. Archived from the original on September 14, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference launches was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference holderwsj was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBC News was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b "North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty To Killing 3 Muslim Students". WUNC. June 12, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Grubb, Tammy (April 11, 2019). "Durham DA will not pursue death penalty against man charged in Muslim students' deaths". The News & Observer. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  18. ^ Watts, Amanda; Hanna, Jason (June 12, 2019). "North Carolina man sentenced to life after pleading guilty to the 2015 murders of 3 Muslim college students". CNN. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  19. ^ "Chapel Hill killer jailed for life for 2015 murder of Muslim students". BBC News. June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.