Vermont police investigate shooting of 3 Palestinian college students as possible hate crime: What we know
Two of the victims were wearing traditional Palestinian scarves, called keffiyehs, when they were shot, an attorney for their families says.
Law enforcement officials in Burlington, Vt., are investigating the shooting of three 20-year-old Palestinian college students on Saturday as a possible hate crime.
Jason Eaton, a 48-year-old resident of Burlington, was arrested Sunday afternoon by federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, authorities said.
Eaton was arraigned on Monday and charged with three counts of attempted murder in the second degree. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.
What we know
According to the Burlington Police Department, the students were walking along a street at around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday when they were confronted by a man with a handgun who fired at least four rounds “without speaking” and then fled on foot.
The victims — identified as Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University in Rhode Island; Kinnan Abdalhamid, a student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania; and Tahseen Ahmad, a student at Trinity College in Connecticut — were in Burlington to visit Awartani’s grandmother for the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to court documents, Abdalhamid was shot in the leg; Ahmad was shot in his upper right chest. Both were listed in stable condition at the University of Vermont Medical Center on Sunday.
Awartani has a bullet lodged in his spine, the documents show. He was listed in serious condition at the University of Vermont Medical Center Sunday.
According to police, at least two of the students were wearing traditional Palestinian scarves, called keffiyehs, when they were shot.
Local police, FBI and ATF agents conducted a canvass of the neighborhood Sunday and arrested Eaton, who lives in an apartment across the street from the scene. Evidence collected during a search of the apartment “gave investigators and prosecutors probable cause to believe that Mr. Eaton perpetrated the shooting,” the Burlington Police Department said in a press release.
“I hope that Burlington’s Palestinian, Arab and Muslim communities see in today’s prompt arrest the city’s commitment to justice in keeping all members of our community safe,” Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said at a news briefing.
Pro-Palestinian and antiwar activists have held numerous rallies in Burlington against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
What we don’t know
Authorities have yet to officially identify a motive for the shooting. But the incident comes amid a rise in reported hate crimes across the country since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Vermont said it is investigating whether the shooting may have been a hate crime. State and local law enforcement officials are say they are doing so, too.
“Although we do not yet have evidence to support a hate crime enhancement, I do want to be clear that there is no question this was a hateful act,” Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George said at a press briefing.
Recommended reading
CNN: Suspect in shooting of 3 Palestinian college students in Vermont pleads not guilty
AP: Suspect in shooting of 3 men of Palestinian descent near the University of Vermont pleads not guilty
AFP: U.S. attorney general warns of 'extremists' after Vermont shooting
“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a press release prior to Eaton’s arrest.
An attorney for the victims’ families, Abed Ayoub, told CNN that he believes the students were targeted because two of them were wearing keffiyehs.
“The suspect walked up to them and shot them. They weren’t robbed, they weren’t mugged,” Ayoub said Sunday. “It was a targeted shooting and a targeted crime.”
What the White House is saying
At a briefing Monday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were “horrified” to learn about the attack.
“These students were taking part in a uniquely American tradition gathering with family and loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving,” she said. “They should be back in school with their classmates, not in a hospital room. The president, first lady and everyone here at the White House join Americans across the country in praying for their full recovery. And we send our deepest condolences to their families and the broader Palestinian Arab and Muslim American communities.
“There is absolutely, absolutely no place for violence or hate in America,” she added. “No person should worry about being targeted while going about their daily lives. And far too many Americans know a family member injured or killed as a result of gun violence. We cannot and we will not accept that.”
Local coverage
Burlington Free Press: What people in Burlington are saying about the shooting
VTDigger: Family members say they’re shocked by the violence so far from the Middle East
Seven Days: Victims went to birthday party for 8-year-old twins hours before attack
The White House released a statement on the president's behalf later Monday:
Jill and I were horrified to learn that three college students of Palestinian descent, two of whom are American citizens, were shot Saturday in Burlington, Vermont. They were simply spending Thanksgiving gathered with family and loved ones.
We join Americans across the country in praying for their full recovery, and we send our deepest condolences to their families. While we are waiting for more facts, we know this: there is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America. Period. No person should worry about being shot at while going about their daily lives. And far too many Americans know a family member injured or killed as a result of gun violence. We cannot and we will not accept that.
Earlier today, I spoke to Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger to offer my support. We are grateful to the Burlington Police Department — as well as the FBI, ATF, and other law enforcement partners — for their swift work identifying and arresting a suspect. Our Administration will provide any additional federal resources needed to assist in the investigation.
