The alleged gunman in the alleged partial shooting attack on three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont, has been arrested, according to police.
Jason Eaton, 48, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon after being 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 shot Saturday while walking 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.
The trio was rushed to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where two were in stable condition and the third was in serious condition.
The victims are 20 years old and identified Awartani as a Brown student, Abdalhamid from Haverford College in Pennsylvania and Ahmad from Trinity University.via REUTERS
“All three victims survived the initial shooting, however, two of them are currently in the ICU and one of the students has suffered very critical and serious injuries,” the ADC said in a statement.
A lawyer representing the victims’ families, Abed Ayoub, told CNN that 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.
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 awartani
Police are investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime amid rising Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian rhetoric in the United States with the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas abroad.
“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate crime,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said Sunday. “And I have already been in contact with federal investigative and prosecution partners to prepare for that if it is 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 on Monday, CNN reported.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn