Suspect Arrested In Shooting Involving Three Palestinian Students

A suspect was arrested in connection to the Vermont shooting of three Palestinian college students. 

On Sunday, officials took Jason Eaton into custody after the police identified him as a suspect. According to authorities, Eaton is currently living in an apartment building that is located near the scene of the crime. 

After searching Eaton’s home, authorities discovered a .380 semi-automatic Ruger pistol. The weapon is currently being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ballistics lab. If Eaton is convicted on these attempted murder charges, he could face life in prison. 

He was arraigned on Monday and pleaded not guilty. He is currently being held without bond. The prosecutor on the case is State Attorney Sarah George who shared, “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.” 

The three 20-year-old victims are Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali Ahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid. They were shot on Saturday while they all walked together to a family dinner. 

Abdalhamid is a college student at Haverford College, Awartani at Brown University and Ahmad at Trinity University. 

The three victims were all rushed to the University of Vermont Medical Center and sustained serious injuries. The ADC released a statement announcing, “All three victims survived the initial shooting, however, two of them are currently in ICU and one of the students has sustained very critical and serious injuries.” 

Abed Ayoub, a lawyer for the victims’ families, shared that while walking, two of the men were dressed in traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves. Additionally, they were speaking to each other in Arabic. 

Police are currently investigating if the shooting is related to the anti-Palestinian and Islamophobia issues that are ongoing and if it is a hate crime. 

The Burlington Chief of Police, Jon Murad, stated, “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.”