US Police Make Arrest after Three Palestinians Shot in Vermont
Jason J. Eaton was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who were searching the area where the shooting occurred, the Burlington Police Department said in a statement, Associated Press reported on Monday.
Eaton's apartment, located across the street from the shooting scene, was searched and evidence was collected, police said. He is expected to appear in court on Monday.
The three victims, all 20 years old, were attending a Thanksgiving holiday gathering at the home of one of their relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun around 6:25 p.m. on Saturday, police said.
The man fired at least four shots at the victims without saying a word, hitting two of them in their torsos and one in the lower extremities, police said. He then fled the scene.
The victims were taken to a hospital for treatment. Two of them are in stable condition and the third has more serious injuries, police said.
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Two of the victims were wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, police said.
Police Chief Jon Murad said the motive for the shooting is still unknown, but it may have been a hate crime.
"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," he said in a statement.
Murad and Mayor Miro Weinberger are scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday to provide more details about the investigation.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said in a statement that the victims are Palestinian American college students and that there is "reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab."
The committee said a man shouted and harassed the victims, who were speaking Arabic, before shooting them.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the shooter.
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The shooting comes amid rising tensions and protests in the US following the outbreak of a war between Hamas and Israel on October 7.
Last month, an Illinois landlord was charged with a hate crime for stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy to death in Chicago. Police and relatives say the boy and his mother were targeted because of their faith.
Source: Agencies
