The selfless community work of Chapel Hill shooting victim Deah Shaddy Barakat is coming to light in the days following his death.
The 23-year-old was shot dead alongside his wife Yusor Mohammad, 21, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha, 19 at their home in North Carolina on Tuesday.
Craig Stephen Hicks, who is rumoured to be an atheist, was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
"He was a completely genuine guy. Loving, caring, friendly, smart," said Muneeb Mustafa, 23, who knew Barakat since both were in high school. "He was an ideal human being. He was a role model. He was somebody that people would look up to and want to be just like him."
Barakat's wife was due to enroll in the same dental programme as her husband in the fall and the couple along with Mohammad's sister regularly volunteered in rural North Carolina clinics to help the uninsured and poor.
Chapel Hill Shooting Vigil
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UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt speaks to hundreds of mourners gathered in on the UNC campus in Chapel Hill, N.C., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015. A vigil service for Deah Barakat; his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha; and her sister Razan Abu-Shala was held after the three were killed in a triple homicide on Tuesday. (Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images)
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Namee Barakat, center, and his Layla, right, watch a photo presentation during a vigil for his daughters on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Craig Stephen Hicks is accused of shooting Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha's sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, on Tuesday. (Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images)
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CHAPEL HILL, USA - FEBRUARY 11: Lee Elliott (L) from Chapel Hill, N.C. and Tera Schmitt (R) from Durham, N.C. relight candles in a memorial at a vigil at the University of North Carolina for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha who were killed in their home the night before in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, on February 11, 2015. A 46-year-old man was charged with the murder of three Muslim students who were fatally shot Tuesday at the University of North Carolinas residential complex in Chapel Hill, police said Wednesday. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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CHAPEL HILL, USA - FEBRUARY 11: A student pays her respects at a vigil at the University of North Carolina for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha who were killed in their home the night before in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, on February 11, 2015. A 46-year-old man was charged with the murder of three Muslim students who were fatally shot Tuesday at the University of North Carolinas residential complex in Chapel Hill, police said Wednesday. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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CHAPEL HILL, USA - FEBRUARY 11: A sign is seen a vigil at the University of North Carolina for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha who were killed in their home the night before in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, on February 11, 2015. A 46-year-old man was charged with the murder of three Muslim students who were fatally shot Tuesday at the University of North Carolinas residential complex in Chapel Hill, police said Wednesday. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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CHAPEL HILL, USA - FEBRUARY 11: A note is left at a makeshift memorial during a vigil at the University of North Carolina for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha who were killed in their home the night before in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, on February 11, 2015. A 46-year-old man was charged with the murder of three Muslim students who were fatally shot Tuesday at the University of North Carolinas residential complex in Chapel Hill, police said Wednesday. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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CHAPEL HILL, USA - FEBRUARY 11: Students stand around a makeshift memorial at a vigil at the University of North Carolina for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha who were killed in their home the night before in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, on February 11, 2015. A 46-year-old man was charged with the murder of three Muslim students who were fatally shot Tuesday at the University of North Carolinas residential complex in Chapel Hill, police said Wednesday. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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CHAPEL HILL, USA - FEBRUARY 11: A student pays her respects at a vigil at the University of North Carolina for Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad, and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha who were killed in their home the night before in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, on February 11, 2015. A 46-year-old man was charged with the murder of three Muslim students who were fatally shot Tuesday at the University of North Carolinas residential complex in Chapel Hill, police said Wednesday. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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Suzanne Askar rests her head on the shoulder of Safam Mahate, a student at North Carolina State University, as they stand next to Nida Allam, far left, also a student at N.C. State, during a candlelight vigil for murder victims Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha's sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Craig Stephen Hicks is accused of shooting the three students on Tuesday. (Al Drago/The News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images)
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A candlelight vigil for murder victims Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha's sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Craig Stephen Hicks is accused of shooting the three students on Tuesday. (Al Drago/The News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images)
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People listen during a vigil at the University of North Carolina following the murders of three Muslim students on February 11, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder after the February 10, 2015 slayings in the North Carolina university town of Chapel Hill which sparked outrage amongst Muslims worldwide. Police investigating the murders said they were studying whether the fatal shootings were religiously motivated, as calls mounted for the killings to be treated as a hate crime. AFP PHOTO / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images)
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Four women pay their respects during a vigil for murder victims Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha's sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Craig Stephen Hicks is accused of shooting the three students on Tuesday. (Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images)
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A woman cries as she watches photos projected on a large screen of murder victims Deah Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and Abu-Salha's sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015, in Chapel Hill, N.C. Craig Stephen Hicks is accused of shooting the three students on Tuesday. (Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer/TNS via Getty Images) (credit:Raleigh News & Observer via Getty Images)
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A woman holds a candle during a vigil at the University of North Carolina following the murders of three Muslim students on February 11, 2015 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder after the February 10, 2015 slayings in the North Carolina university town of Chapel Hill which sparked outrage amongst Muslims worldwide. Police investigating the murders said they were studying whether the fatal shootings were religiously motivated, as calls mounted for the killings to be treated as a hate crime. AFP PHOTO / BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images)