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Funerals for Chapel Hill shooting victims to be held Funerals for Chapel Hill shooting victims
(35 minutes later)
The funerals of three Muslims killed in North Carolina will be held on Thursday. Hundreds of mourners are gathering for the funerals of three Muslim students killed in North Carolina.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, wife Yusor Mohammad and her sister Razan, were shot dead at their home in Chapel Hill on Tuesday morning. Deah Shaddy Barakat, wife Yusor Mohammad and her sister Razan, were shot dead at their home in Chapel Hill.
Their neighbour Craig Stephen Hicks gave himself up to police and has been arrested on three counts of murder.Their neighbour Craig Stephen Hicks gave himself up to police and has been arrested on three counts of murder.
Hundreds of people gathered for a candlelit vigil at the University of North Carolina on Wednesday. Police say initial indications suggest there was a parking space dispute but they are investigating whether the victims' religion played a part.
Barakat was a dental student at the university and his wife was planning to enrol in the school in the next term.
Muslim and civil rights organisations are organising more vigils across the country for Thursday evening. The funerals are due to take place in the neighbouring town of Raleigh.
An initial police investigation indicated that the shootings took place over a parking dispute. But relatives of the victims believe it was a hate crime.
Mr Hicks' Facebook profile included a photo that read "Atheists for Equality". He also frequently posted quotes critical of religion.Mr Hicks' Facebook profile included a photo that read "Atheists for Equality". He also frequently posted quotes critical of religion.
However Mr Hicks' wife Karen said that the incident had nothing to do with religion. Relatives of the victims believe it was a hate crime.
Her husband believed that "everyone is equal, it doesn't matter what you look like, who you are or what you believe", she said. Mr Barakat's brother Farris told the BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan that Hicks had threatened his brother and his family with a gun.
At the scene - Rajini Vaidyanathan, BBC News At the funerals - Tara McKelvey, BBC News
The mood was quiet and contemplative as students and members of the community gathered for a vigil in honour of the victims. Some held candles, others held each other, as they tried to find light in a very dark moment for this campus. Classmates of the dead stand outside a soccer stadium in Raleigh on Thursday, hugging each other and trying not to cry. It's a bright, breezy afternoon, and they're waiting for the funerals to begin. Pallbearers chant as they carry a silver coffin towards the stadium.
A screen projected images of the three students showing them as football players, football fans, community volunteers, and above all people who cherished their families, friends and the world around them. They make a wrong turn on the sidewalk and are guided back to a gate through a chain-link fence. They carry the coffin through the entrance. A moment later more pallbearers arrive, carrying another casket - this one is white and has plastic sheets hanging down the sides.
When Deah Barakat's brother Farris spoke of how he still longed to text his brother, the crowd struggled to contain its tears. Afterwards he told me he was amazed by the turnout. Farris revealed that the man charged with his brother's murder, Craig Stephen Hicks, had threatened his family with a gun before. "It's a beautiful sight," says a man in a red beret, talking on a mobile phone, as he looks out at the hundreds of people who have gathered in the stadium. I can't even tell you how many are here."
"My brother's wife had told me how she's felt uncomfortable around him… he has come to the door before about how [their] friends were too loud in the parking lot. He came and revealed his jacket to say…'Look, I have a gun'." A train whistles in the distance, and more people walk through the gate.
When asked whether this was about a parking dispute or something more, Farris replied: "If people are dying because of a parking dispute then this world is a far more desperate place than it should be".
Neighbours stunned by triple murderNeighbours stunned by triple murder
In pictures: Chapel Hill vigilsIn pictures: Chapel Hill vigils
#BBCTrending: Why activists believe it was a hate crime#BBCTrending: Why activists believe it was a hate crime
The father of the two sisters killed said Mr Hicks had killed them "execution style".
But Mr Hicks' wife Karen said the incident had nothing to do with religion and her husband treated everyone equally.
A candlelit vigil was held at the University of North Carolina on Wednesday night.
Barakat was a dental student at the university and his wife was planning to enrol in the school in the next term.
Muslim and civil rights organisations are organising more vigils across the country for Thursday evening. The funerals are taking place in the neighbouring town of Raleigh.
Mr Hicks apparently had a history of conflicts with neighbours over parking spaces.Mr Hicks apparently had a history of conflicts with neighbours over parking spaces.
Michael Nam told the BBC that Mr Hicks once confronted him with a gun holstered on his hip.Michael Nam told the BBC that Mr Hicks once confronted him with a gun holstered on his hip.
The murders have resonated both within US and around the world, especially on social media. The hashtag #ChapelHillShooting has been used hundreds of thousands of times.The murders have resonated both within US and around the world, especially on social media. The hashtag #ChapelHillShooting has been used hundreds of thousands of times.
There has been criticism of a perceived lack of coverage in the mainstream media with the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter mentioned almost 100,000 times in the day following the shooting.There has been criticism of a perceived lack of coverage in the mainstream media with the hashtag #MuslimLivesMatter mentioned almost 100,000 times in the day following the shooting.
The three students were honoured with a moment of silence before a basketball game at North Carolina State University. Deah and Yusor had been previously students at the school and Razan was currently a student.
Abdul-Malik Abu, a basketball player and student at the university, said Deah Barakat was a "world-class person".
Jane Weintraub, the dean of the University of North Carolina dental school, called Barakat "a bright light" who would be remembered for his "incredible heart for service" and "his leadership".Jane Weintraub, the dean of the University of North Carolina dental school, called Barakat "a bright light" who would be remembered for his "incredible heart for service" and "his leadership".
"I don't know what I'm going to do on Saturday mornings when it's time for family breakfast," Barakat's brother, Farris, told the candlelight vigil on Wednesday. "We lost three great citizens of the world and of this country, but I think they've inspired thousands." "I don't know what I'm going to do on Saturday mornings when it's time for family breakfast," Barakat's brother, Farris, told the candlelight vigil on Wednesday.
"We lost three great citizens of the world and of this country, but I think they've inspired thousands."