The gunman suspected in the biased shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont has been arrested, according to police.
Jason Eaton, 48, was arrested 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 occurred and was arrested Sunday around 3:30 p.m. 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, Abdalhamid at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and Ahmad at Trinity University, the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee said.
All three were rushed to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where two were listed in stable condition and the third in serious condition.
The victims are all 20 years old and identified Awartani as a student at Brown, Abdalhamid at Haverford College in Pennsylvania and Ahmad at Trinity University. via REUTERS
“All three victims survived the initial shooting, however, two of them are now in the ICU and one of the students has very critical and serious injuries,” ADC said in a statement.
A lawyer representing the victim’s family, Abed Ayoub, told CNN at least two of the men were wearing the traditional Palestinian Keffiyeh headscarf when they were attacked.
The student was also reportedly speaking Arabic when the gunmen opened fire, according to the ADC.
Palestinian college students Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali and Kenan Abdalhamid were shot while walking down a 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 injuries.Instagram/Hisham Awaltani
Police are investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime amid rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian rhetoric in the US and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war abroad.
“In this alleged time, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it might be a hate crime,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said Sunday. “And I’ve already been in contact with fellow investigators and federal prosecutors to prepare if it turns out to be true.”
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 on Monday, CNN reported.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
