Three Muslim students have been shot dead near the University of North Carolina.

Shaddy Barakat, 23 his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21 and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha, 19, were found dead at a condominium complex off campus.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, of Chapel Hill was arrested after turning himself into police. Reports say police charged a Chapel Hill man Wednesday with first-degree murder in the deaths of three family members.

According to reports, a woman who is believed to be Barakat’s mother arrived about 7:45 p.m.

She was crying, asking officers to at least let them know who was involved.

The father returned to the group a short time later, walked up to police officers and demanded to know whether his son had been shot.

Mr Barakat was believed to be a dental student at the University and volunteered with a charity providing emergency dental care to children in Palestine.

There has been a huge out pouring of grief on Twitter as users likened the killing to those of at the offices of Charlies Hebdo offices and called for worldwide condemnation.