Police have charged a 48-year-old man suspected of shooting three U.S. college students of Palestinian descent while the young men were celebrating the American Thanksgiving holiday in Burlington, Vermont.
Jason J. Eaton was arrested by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Sunday afternoon. He has been arraigned and charged with three counts of attempted murder, charges that carry the potential of life in prison, said Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger in a Monday press conference.
“This case remains the top priority of the Burlington Police Department. The investigation will continue, as will our collaboration with state and federal partners, to give our prosecutors the strongest case possible and to ensure that Mr. Eaton is held fully accountable,” Weinberger said.
The three students, all 20 years old, who were injured in the attack are Hisham Awartani, who attends Brown University in Rhode Island; Kinnan Abdalhamid, who studies at Haverford College near Philadelphia; and Tahseen Ahmed, of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.
The shooting occurred around 6:25 p.m. on Saturday night as the three young men were walking on Prospect Street after visiting the home of one of the victim’s relatives for Thanksgiving.
Two of the men were wearing black-and-white keffiyehs, traditional Arabic scarves, when the suspect allegedly opened fire on them. The keffiyeh is often worn at pro-Palestinian rallies as a show of solidarity.
According to Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad, the suspect approached the three men and started shooting without saying a word.
“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Murad said in a Sunday news conference. “All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities.”
The victims were rushed to the University of Vermont Medical Center ICU for treatment. Two are in stable condition while the third “sustained much more serious injuries,” Murad said.
Police are investigating whether the attack may have been a hate crime.
“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven,” Murad said. “The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now.”
During Monday’s news conference, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George said there is “not yet evidence to support a hate crime enhancement” for this attack, but she maintains “there is no question this was a hateful act.”
The FBI in Albany, N.Y., is assisting in the investigation “to determine any potential factors and motives.”
Reactions from the families
Rich Price, the uncle of Awartani, spoke at Monday’s news conference on behalf of the victims’ families. He said the three students were spending the holiday weekend with his family and had just attended the birthday party of his eight-year-old twins when the shooting occurred.
All three men are still in the ICU but expected to recover, Price said. His nephew Awartani sustained a spinal injury in the attack and “faces a long recovery.”
The three young men graduated from high school together in the West Bank.
Ramallah Friends School wrote on Facebook that the private school is “relieved” that the three graduates survived the shooting.
“We stand united in hope and support for their well-being during this challenging time.”
Price added that he was stunned the three students were shot in the U.S. after living in the West Bank.
“I moved here 15 years ago and I never imagined that this sort of thing could happen. My sister lives in the occupied West Bank, and people often ask, ‘Aren’t you worried about your sister? Aren’t you worried about your nephews and your niece?'”
Price called it a “tragic irony” that the young men came to “stay with me for Thanksgiving and have something like this happen.”
Roddy Tamini, the uncle of Abdalhamid, gave a brief statement at Monday’s press conference.
“Kinnan grew up in the West Bank, and we always though that could be more of a risk in terms of his safety, and sending him here would be the right decision,” he said. “We feel somehow betrayed in that decision here. We’re just trying to come to terms with everything.”
Price said that three victims’ families “fear” this attack was “motivated by hate” because the young men are Arab and were wearing keffiyehs that day. Speaking on behalf of his own family, Price said they believe in the “sanctity of the presumption of innocence and due process.”
Tamini said his family shares the same sentiment, adding that it’s “hard to imagine, with everything that’s happening, that it was just a random act.”
“Doesn’t feel that way,” he said. “But we’re absolutely willing to wait and let due process takes its course.”
The Institute for Middle East Understanding posted a statement on X that the institute said was from the victims’ families.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”
“No family should ever have to endure this pain and agony,” the statement continues. “Our children are dedicated students who deserve to be able to focus on their studies and building their futures.”
Reactions in the broader community
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) released a statement Sunday saying that there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”
“We are praying for a full recovery of the victims, and will stand by to support the families in any way that is needed. Given the information collected and provided, it is clear that the hate was a motivating factor in this shooting, and we call on law enforcement to investigate it as such. The surge in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment we are experiencing is unprecedented, and this is another example of that hate turning violent,” said ADC national executive director Abed Ayoub.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement offering a US$10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or people responsible for the shootings.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also denounced the shooting.
“It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation,” Sanders said in a statement.
Gov. Phil Scott called the shooting a tragedy, calling on the state’s residents to unite and “not let this incident incite more hate or divisiveness.”
The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has urged an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict, released a statement saying it was “appalled by the shooting.”
“We are in solidarity with the students, their families and all those affected by this clear act of hate,” the organization said Sunday. “We are in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont — and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all.”
The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy organization for Jewish people worldwide, also said via X it was “horrified” by the attack and urged “law enforcement to investigate this act as a possible hate crime.”
Last month, an Illinois landlord was charged with a hate crime after being accused of fatally stabbing a six-year-old Muslim boy and seriously wounding his mother in Chicago. Police and relatives said he singled out the victims because of their faith.
Last week, a New York woman was charged with hate crimes after being filmed allegedly throwing her phone and a hot coffee at a father wearing a keffiyeh scarf and his 18-month-old toddler. The father says he believes he was targeted by the woman because of his skin colour and the fact he was wearing a keffiyeh, even though he is of Punjabi descent, not Palestinian.
Both Muslim and Jewish communities in Canada have been raising awareness of rising incidents of verbal abuse, hate and intimidation since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“We’ve seen an increase of 1,000 per cent of actual incidents of Islamophobia that have come in from across the country,” said Uthman Quick, director of communications at the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish advocacy and rights organization, said they have observed a “great threat assessment increase” against the community in recent days, with incitement at university campuses and on the streets and genocidal slogans targeting Jews at rallies.
— With files from the Associated Press and Global News’ Saba Aziz