A suspect has been identified and arrested after three Palestinian students attending college in the U.S. were wounded Saturday night by a silent gunman in Burlington, Vermont, in what an advocacy group claims was a hate crime.
In a statement, Burlington police confirmed the arrest of 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton on Sunday afternoon. He faces three counts of aggravated assault. The shooting reportedly took place in front of Eaton’s apartment building.
He is expected to be be arraigned Monday. A potential motive was not announced but Burlington Police said earlier that in this “charged moment” it’s possible the friends—two of whom are U.S. citizens—were targeted because they are Arab.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Preliminary investigation has determined that all three were visiting the home of one victim’s relatives in Burlington for the Thanksgiving holiday,” police said in a press release.
“The three were walking on Prospect Street when they were confronted by a white male with a handgun. The suspect was on foot in the area. Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled on foot.”
“At this time, there is no additional information to suggest the suspect’s motive, such as statements or remarks by the suspect,” police added.
Two of the victims are in stable condition, police said; the other is more seriously hurt.
Police did not name the victims but Haverford College identified one of the students as junior Kinnan Abdalhamid, 20.
The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee identified the others as Hisham Awartani, 20, who was attending Brown University, and Tahseen Ahmed of Trinity College.
“After reviewing the initial information provided we have reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab,” the committee said in a statement.
“According to the information provided the three victims were wearing a Kuffiyeh and speaking Arabic. A man shouted and harassed the victims, then proceeded to shoot them.”
In a statement sent to The Daily Beast, Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said Awartani remains in hospital but is expected to survive. She said relatives had given their approval to share news of the junior’s injuries, and that he is Palestinian-Irish-American.
“There are not enough words to express the deep anguish I feel for Hisham, his parents and family members, and his friends,” Paxson said. “I know that this heinous and despicable act of violence — this latest evidence of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination and hate spiraling across this country and around the world — will leave many in our community deeply shaken.”
The families of Awartani and the other two student victims of the shooting have asked that no one make donations to fundraisers unless specifically organized by the families, Paxson added. “We also agreed to share the families’ desire for privacy and space to provide their children with the support they need.
“I know that I and many members of our community are feeling so many emotions in this moment — sadness, confusion and anger — questioning how anyone would perpetrate such an act of violence.”
In a statement issued through the Institute for Middle East Understanding, the families of the three friends said they were “devastated by the horrific news that our children were targeted and shot.”
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children. 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,” they said.
“We need to ensure that our children are protected, and this heinous crime is not repeated. No family should ever have to endure this pain and agony.”
The anti-discrimination committee’s executive director, Abed Ayoub, also called for a hate-crime investigation.
“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,” he said.
“The surge in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment we are experiencing is unprecedented, and this is another example of that hate turning violent.”
Burlington Police confirmed two of the young men were wearing Palestinian scarves but stressed that the motive has not been pinned down.
“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 statement. “And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven.”
He added, “The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now. But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”
In a statement early Monday, the FBI said it “continues to actively investigate” the shooting, adding its office “has deployed numerous technical, forensic and investigative resources in support of the investigation.”
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger called for unity.
“That there is an indication this shooting could have been motivated by hate is chilling, and this possibility is being prioritized in the BPD’s investigation,” he said in a statement.
In October, a 6-year-old Chicago boy, Wadea Al-Fayoume, was killed and his mother was stabbed 12 times in an attack allegedly carried out by their landlord, 71-year-old Joseph Czuba, days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. Czuba, who is Catholic, was charged with murder and hate crimes.
The Anti-Defamation League has said antisemitic crimes also surged amid the Israel-Hamas war.
