Four days after three college students were shot dead in their Chapel Hill, North Carolina, apartment, U.S. President Barack Obama offered his and first lady Michelle Obama's condolences to the victims' loved ones, stating, "We are all one American family."
Obama, who was widely criticized for his silence on the murders in their immediate aftermath, said the FBI has opened an inquiry, "taking steps to determine whether federal laws were violated."
"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," the president added, wading into the debate over the crime's motive.
Police said the killer, Craig Stephen Hicks, shot his three neighbors in a feud over a parking spot. The victims' family disagrees, telling Mashable it's a hate crime, as evident from the anti-religious remarks Hicks has made on Facebook.
"As we saw with the overwhelming presence at the funeral of these young Americans, we are all one American family. Whenever anyone is taken from us before their time, we remember how they lived their lives," Obama said in his statement. "And the words of one of the victims should inspire the way we live ours."
FBI spokesperson Paul Bresson cautioned in a statement to Mashable that this "is not a full field investigation."
However, he said the FBI would look at evidence to determine whether a hate crime had occurred. "We're taking a look further to see if there are any further violations of federal law," Bresson told Mashable on Thursday.
Mohammad Abu-Salha, the father of victims Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, said "this has hate crime written all over it" at their funeral on Thursday, and called on Obama to get the FBI involved.
At a Wednesday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest had been asked whether the president had any reaction to the murders.
"There’s no specific reaction from the White House," Earnest said, adding that the White House would await the results of local law enforcement's investigation before commenting.
Additional reporting by Colin Daileda