The White House Wednesday said it had “no specific” reaction to the shooting deaths of three Muslim students near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said administration officials would wait until the completion of the local investigation before commenting on the matter.
A 46-year-old man, Craig Stephen Hicks, has been charged with the murder of the three students, and authorities are investigating anti-Muslim remarks he apparently left on social media.
“Our investigators are exploring what could have motivated Mr. Hicks to commit such a senseless and tragic act. We understand the concerns about the possibility that this was hate-motivated and we will exhaust every lead to determine if that is the case,” Chapel Hill Police Chief Chris Blue said on Wednesday.
Obama’s top spokesman may have been hesitant to discuss a possible religious factor in the shooting.
The White House has been on the defensive this week for its characterization of the motive behind a terrorist attack at a kosher deli in Paris.
Earnest on Tuesday appeared to double down on President Obama’s claim that the shooting at a kosher deli in Paris was “random,” drawing widespread criticism.
Later in the day, he was forced to clarify his remarks.
“Our view has not changed,” Earnest wrote on Twitter. “Terror attack at Paris kosher market was motivated by anti-Semitism. POTUS didn’t intend to suggest otherwise.”
