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.