Vermont police arrested a man suspected of shooting three Palestinian students and charged him with attempted murder.
The individual, identified as 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton of Burlington, was charged with attempted murder for the shooting on Saturday. The incident occurred outside of the building where the suspect is said to live.
Suspect Arrested in Shooting of Three Palestinian Students
The charges against Eaton include three counts of attempted second-degree murder over the weekend shooting of three young Palestinian men. It was a violent incident that stunned the small city of Burlington.
As investigators in the case sought to determine the motive for the shooting, with officials initially considering it a hate crime, local officials called the attack one of the most shocking events in the city's history. They noted that it was a grave setback for a town that strives to be welcoming to everyone.
During a news conference on Monday afternoon, Burlington police chief Jon Murad said that whether or not the shooting was a hate crime by the law, there was no question that it was a hateful act, as per the New York Times.
Eaton pleaded not guilty to the charges filed against him as he was being held without bail. He was seen in court through a remote video link from jail and did not utter a word during the brief hearing except to thank the judge in charge. If he is convicted, he could face life imprisonment.
The victims were identified as all young men in their 20s and were staying at the home of an uncle of one of them. They were out for a walk at around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday when the suspect approached them, pulled out a handgun, and started shooting from roughly two yards away.
An affidavit revealed that the three men were Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali Ahmad, and Kinnan Abdalhamid. The victims were Brown University, Trinity College, and Haverford College students, respectively. They have been friends since they were kids; two were US citizens, while the third was a legal resident.
Two of the Palestinian students were shot in the torso, while the third was shot in the lower extremities. The first two were said to be in stable condition, but the last suffered more serious injuries from the attack, according to BBC.
Potential Hate Crime
The unprovoked attack comes as the United States is dealing with a surge in Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned of potential attacks by "homegrown violent extremists" since the beginning of the Middle Eastern war.
Murad said that one of the victims suffered a spinal injury with long-term implications. Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said that the lives of the Palestinian students have been changed forever because of the shooting.
During a news conference, he noted that one of the young men faces a tremendous struggle and recovery and is looking at injuries that could have lifelong effects. The families of the victims expressed their relief that the suspect had been arrested, noting that the crime was "fueled by hate," said CNN.
