Vermont man charged with attempted murder in shooting of 3 college students of Palestinian descent

A Vermont man pleaded not guilty to attempted murder Monday in connection with the weekend shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vt., which is now being investigated as a possible hate crime.

Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arrested Sunday, a day after the shooting outside his apartment building near the University of Vermont campus. He appeared in court Monday by video from jail, speaking only to confirm his identity.

His attorney entered pleas of not guilty on his behalf, and a judge ordered him held without bail pending a hearing that likely will be held in the next few days.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday the Justice Department is investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting Vermont authorities in the investigation.

The White House said on Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden was horrified by the weekend shooting. 

"There is absolutely, absolutely no place for violence or hate in America," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a news briefing.

Victims hospitalized

The three, all 20 years old, were walking Saturday evening during a visit to one of the victim's relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun, police said.

Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said Monday that the shooter did not speak, according to interviews with the victims. The three men do not recall ever having seen the man who shot them before the incident, he said.

Two of the men were in stable condition, while the other "faces a tremendous struggle and recovery of injuries that may be lifelong," Murad said, without elaborating.

The police chief on Sunday cautioned the public to avoid making conclusions about motives while the probe was ongoing.

The victims are all of Palestinian descent, police previously said. Two are U.S. citizens and the third is a legal resident. Two of the men were wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, police said.

The Institute for Middle East Understanding, in a statement from victims' families on X, formerly known as Twitter, identified the men as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad.

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement Sunday saying that the victims were Palestinian American college students and that there is "reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab."

The FBI in Albany, N.Y., posted a statement late Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, saying the bureau is actively investigating the shooting with the Burlington Police Department, the ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.

'Hate has no place here'

In response to the shooting, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged people to "unequivocally denounce the startling rise of anti-Arab hate and Islamophobia in America."

"No one should ever be targeted for their ethnicity or religious affiliation in our country," the New York Democrat said in the statement posted on X. "We will not let hatred win."

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also denounced the shooting.

"It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington, Vt. Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation," Sanders said in a statement.

Gov. Phil Scott called the shooting a tragedy, calling on the state's residents to unite and "not let this incident incite more hate or divisiveness."

The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has urged an end to the Israel-Hamas war, released a statement saying it was "appalled by the shooting."

"We are in solidarity with the students, their families and all those affected by this clear act of hate," the organization said Sunday. "We are in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont — and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all."

The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy organization for Jewish people worldwide, also said via X it was "horrified" by the attack and urged "law enforcement to investigate this act as a possible hate crime."

Last month, an Illinois landlord was charged with a hate crime after being accused of fatally stabbing a six-year-old Muslim boy and seriously wounding his mother in Chicago. Police and relatives said he singled out the victims because of their faith.

Demonstrations have been widespread and tensions in the U.S. have escalated as the death toll rises in the Israel-Hamas war since the militant group launched attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7.