President Barack Obama released a statement Friday on the shooting of three members of a Muslim family in North Carolina.
Craig Stephen Hicks was arrested Tuesday on charges of first-degree murder, accused of killing Deah Barakat, 23; Barakat's wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, 21; and Yusor's sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19. The shooting occurred late Tuesday at the family's home near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Police said the murders may have been prompted by a dispute over parking, according to WNCN.
Obama called the killings "brutal and outrageous." See his full statement below:
Yesterday, the FBI opened an inquiry into the brutal and outrageous murders of Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, Deah Shaddy Barakat, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In addition to the ongoing investigation by local authorities, the FBI is taking steps to determine whether federal laws were violated. No one in the United States of America should ever be targeted because of who they are, what they look like, or how they worship. Michelle and I offer our condolences to the victims’ loved ones. As we saw with the overwhelming presence at the funeral of these young Americans, we are all one American family. Whenever anyone is taken from us before their time, we remember how they lived their lives – and the words of one of the victims should inspire the way we live ours.
“Growing up in America has been such a blessing,” Yusor said recently. “It doesn’t matter where you come from. There’s so many different people from so many different places, of different backgrounds and religions – but here, we’re all one."
For more on the Chapel Hill shooting, go here.
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