The alleged gunman in the suspected bias attack shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont, has been arrested, according to police.
Jason Eaton, 48, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon after he was identified as a suspect, Burlington police said, according to CNN.
Eaton lives in an apartment building near where the triple shooting happened and was arrested around 3:30 p.m. Sunday for allegedly wounding the three 20-year-olds, authorities said.
Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali Ahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid were all shot Saturday as they walked to a family dinner, police and Arab American officials said.
Awartani is a student at Brown University in Rhode Island, Abdalhamid at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and Ahmad at Trinity University in Texas, the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee said.
The trio were rushed to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where two were listed in stable condition and the third in serious condition.
“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,” the ADC said in a statement.
Police have arrested the alleged gunman accused of shooting three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont. via REUTERS
The victims are all 20 years old and identified as college students. via REUTERSA lawyer representing the victims’ families, Abed Ayoub, told CNN at least two of the men were wearing traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarves when they were attacked.
The students were also reportedly speaking Arabic when the gunman opened fire, according to the ADC.
Police are probing whether the shooting was a hate crime amid a rise in both Islamophobia and antisemistism in the US and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war overseas.
Palestinian college students Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali and Kenan Abdalhamid were shot walking down the street in Vermont on Saturday. Institute for Middle East Unders/AFP via Getty Images
Hisham Awartani, one of the injured students, is recovering from his wounds. Instagram/Hisham Awartani“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 Sunday. “And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven.”
Last month, an Illinois man stabbed a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy 26 times, killing him in a shocking hate crime fueled by the war between Israel and Hamas.
Eaton is expected to be arraigned Monday, CNN reported.
