Following a private ceremony for family members, a funeral was held at the sports fields of the university the three attended. Around 5,500 people were present at the funeral, the BBC reported, citing the university police.
Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister Razan, 19, were shot dead in Chapel Hill Tuesday evening by Craig Stephen Hicks. All three were pronounced dead on the scene.
Police stated that a preliminary investigation indicated the shooting was motivated by a parking dispute. The authorities are investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime.
On Wednesday, Hicks, the neighbor of the victims who had clashes with them before, was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
The shooting has created speculation on social media that it was a hate crime against Muslims, as well as criticism of mainstream media and the US government of a double-standard that they did not qualify a shooting against Muslims as terrorism.
