Craig Stephen Hicks was charged with three counts of murder early Wednesday. (AP/Durham County Sheriff’s Office)

People who knew the man accused of gunning down three Muslim American students in North Carolina this week — an act many suspect to be a hate crime motivated by cultural differences — describe him as angry and lacking compassion.

Craig Stephen Hicks reportedly often fumed over his failure to get the parking spot he desired in the lot at his apartment complex.

AP reports:

Charged with three counts of first-degree murder is Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, who has described himself as a “gun toting” atheist. Neighbors said Wednesday that he always seemed angry and confrontational. His ex-wife said he was obsessed with the shooting-rampage movie “Falling Down” and showed “no compassion at all” for other people.

… A Second Amendment rights advocate with a concealed weapons permit, Hicks often complained about organized religion on Facebook. “Some call me a gun toting Liberal, others call me an open-minded Conservative,” Hicks wrote.

“Anytime that I saw him or saw interaction with him or friends or anyone in the parking lot or myself, he was angry,” [neighbor] Samantha Maness said. “He was very angry, anytime I saw him.”

Read more here.

— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.

Your support matters…

Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.

You can help level the playing field. Become a member.

Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.

Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.

SUPPORT TRUTHDIG