Winnipeg siblings organize vigil for 3 Muslim students killed in U.S.
As family and community members in North Carolina grieve the loss of three Muslim students who were shot to death this week, allegedly over a parking dispute, a group of Winnipeggers has organized a vigil to mourn the victims.
Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were all fatally wounded in Chapel Hill Tuesday.
- Chapel Hill police look for motive in killings of 3 Muslim students
- North Carolina triple fatal shooting blamed on parking dispute
- Chapel Hill shooting victims mourned by thousands at funeral prayers
A neighbour named Craig Stephen Hicks appeared in court Wednesday on charges of first degree murder. He turned himself in shortly after the incident.
Police said in a statement Wednesday that preliminary investigation results indicate the crime was motivated by an ongoing parking dispute between Hicks and some of the victims.
But officials are also investigating whether hate played a role in the killings.
Meanwhile in Winnipeg, siblings Yasmin and Rami Elzayat are part of a group of people organizing a vigil to remember the three victims.
“They had a future and they wanted to help others in their community, and to commemorate their lives in that way I think would bring light to the cause and would just improve the cause,” said Rami, a student at the University of Winnipeg and one of the events organizers.
Yasmin echoed Rami’s sentiment.
“[We want] to commemorate their lives and just kind of honour them, and honour what they've done for their community, and just sort of raise awareness about the tragedy,” she said.
The vigil will be held Friday night at 6 p.m. at the University of Manitoba’s University Centre.