A gunman shot dead three young Muslims near the University of North Carolina, Muslim activists Wednesday who demanded that US state and federal authorities investigate the suspect for possible hate crimes.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, of Chapel Hill, was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, the Chapel Hill Police Department said in a statement on Wednesday. On Facebook, Hicks’ profile picture reads “Atheists for Equality” and he frequently posted quotes critical of religion. On Jan 20 he posted a photo of a .38-calibre revolver that he said was loaded and belonged to him.  “Yes, that is 1 pound 5.1 ounces for my loaded 38 revolver, its holster, and five extra rounds in a speedloader,” the post said. Police identified the victims in the Tuesday evening shooting as dental student Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23; his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19. A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told Reuters the three were Muslim, according to a news agency.