--- description: Hicks was a "self-appointed watchman" of his apartment complex title: North Carolina Shooting: Craig Stephen Hicks Threatened Neighbors Before image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20e7ac11fcac14b3/69877f38cd68484150099b33/craig-stephen-hick.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # North Carolina Shooting Suspect Had Threatened Neighbors Before by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2015 3:45 PM CUT  Craig Stephen Hicks. Craig Stephen Hicks.Chapel Hill Police/EPA by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2015 3:45 PM CUT The man accused of [killing three Muslim students in North Carolina](http://time.com/3704759/muslim-students-murdered-chapel-hill/ "undefined") this week had threatened his neighbors before, [according to a new report.](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/us/chapel-hill-neighbors-say-they-felt-threatened-by-man-held-in-killings.html "undefined") Craig Stephen Hicks was a “self-appointed watchman” of his Chapel Hill apartment complex, the [New York _Times_ reports](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/us/chapel-hill-neighbors-say-they-felt-threatened-by-man-held-in-killings.html "undefined"). Hicks knocked on the door of two of the future victims—Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Deah Shaddy Barakat— last fall to complain about the the amount of noise they made while playing the board game risk Risk, neighbors recalled, and was holding a rife at the time—though he wasn’t pointing it at anyone. The shooting ignited outrage and [suspicion that it was motivated by anti-Muslim bias](http://time.com/3704968/muslimlivesmatter-viral/ "undefined"), though authorities have said preliminary investigation indicates it may have been sparked by an ongoing parking dispute. Hicks has been charged with three counts of first degree murder. \[[NYT](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/us/chapel-hill-neighbors-say-they-felt-threatened-by-man-held-in-killings.html "undefined")\] ### Witness Scenes from the Vigil for Chapel Hill's Shooting Victims  A woman cries as a video is played during a vigil on the campus of the University of North Carolina, for three Muslim students who were murdered, in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 11, 2015. Chris Keane—Reuters  Namee Barakat and his wife Layla Barakat, parents of shooting victim Deah Shaddy Barakat, embrace during a vigil on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 11, 2015. Chris Keane—Reuters  People light candles during a vigil on the campus of the University of North Carolina, for three Muslim students who were murdered, in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 11, 2015. Al Drago—The News & Observer/AP  People gather at "The Pit" during a vigil on the campus of the University of North Carolina, for three Muslim students who were murdered, in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 11, 2015. Travis Long—The News & Observer/AP  Nida Allam, a senior at North Carolina State University, rests her head on Asheen Allam, during a vigil on the campus of the University of North Carolina, for three Muslim students who were murdered, in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 11, 2015. Al Drago—The News & Observer/AP  A woman holds a candle during a vigil on the campus of the University of North Carolina, for three Muslim students who were murdered, in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Feb. 11, 2015. Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3708949/chapel-hill-shooting-craig-stephen-hicks-threaten-neighbor-victim/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3708949/chapel-hill-shooting-craig-stephen-hicks-threaten-neighbor-victim/"},"headline":"North Carolina Shooting Suspect Had Threatened Neighbors Before","datePublished":"2015-02-13T15:45:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:39.692Z","description":"Hicks was a \"self-appointed watchman\" of his apartment complex","url":"https://time.com/3708949/chapel-hill-shooting-craig-stephen-hicks-threaten-neighbor-victim/","keywords":["Crime","shootings"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20e7ac11fcac14b3/69877f38cd68484150099b33/craig-stephen-hick.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Rogers","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt20e7ac11fcac14b3/69877f38cd68484150099b33/craig-stephen-hick.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Craig Stephen Hicks","caption":"Craig Stephen Hicks.","creditText":"Chapel Hill Police/EPA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3708949/chapel-hill-shooting-craig-stephen-hicks-threaten-neighbor-victim/","name":"North Carolina Shooting Suspect Had Threatened Neighbors Before"}}]}] ```