In a statement Friday, President Obama announced an FBI investigation into the Chapel Hill murders in North Carolina, offering sympathy to the victims and their families.
The three murder victims were Muslim, leading family members to denounce the incident as a “hate crime.” However, the killings were attributed to a parking dispute with the shooter, Craig Stephen Hicksby, according to local law enforcement.
In spite of the ongoing investigation, Obama sternly warned that targeting people because of their race or religion should not be tolerated.
“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,” Obama said. “Michelle and I offer our condolences to the victims’ loved ones.”