Jason Eaton has been charged with attempted murder after he shot three Palestinian students.
Police believe the crime was motivated by hatred, although prosecutors say there is not yet enough evidence to formally charge him with a hate crime. Vermont State’s Attorney Sarah George argued that there was not yet enough evidence to support a tougher hate crime charge against the 48-year-old suspect.
[But] I do want to be clear. There is no question this was a hateful act.
Police reported that the perpetrator stepped off a porch and, “unprovoked,” opened fire on three college students as they strolled together on a city block on Saturday.
The attack came amid escalating tensions in the United States over the Israel-Hamas war, with college campuses and other places experiencing a rise in threats and violence, including acts of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
President Joe Biden declared he was “horrified” by the shooting of students gathered to celebrate the American holiday of Thanksgiving.
“There is absolutely no place for violence or hate in America. Period.”
Eaton was arrested on Sunday and appeared before a judge in Burlington court on Monday. NBC reported that he pleaded not guilty to the shooting. Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad described how law enforcement officers confronted Eaton when they knocked on his flat door and he responded, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Authorities searched the premises and seized weapons and ammunition matching shell casings recovered from the shooting scene.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland warned on Monday of increasing threats from “domestic violent extremists” amid growing attacks on minority groups, and promised a full investigation into the shooting.
There is understandable fear.
A police statement said two of the victims are in stable condition, while the third suffered “much more serious injuries.” The statement added that two were US citizens and one was a legal resident.
“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled on foot.”
The two young men were wearing keffiyehs, a traditional black and white Palestinian scarf. All three victims were graduates of Ramallah Friends School, a private Quaker school in the West Bank, and are now attending various universities in the northeastern United States.
The families said in a statement:
This was a crime fueled by hate (…) We believe a full investigation is likely to show our sons were targeted and violently attacked simply for being Palestinian.
