A Vermont man has been arrested for the shooting of three Palestinian students in Burlington on Saturday.
Jason Eaton, 48, pleaded "not guilty" to three counts of second-degree attempted murder on Monday in Vermont Superior Court via web conferencing.
Eaton was arrested on Sunday night and charged with the shooting of Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Tahseen Ali Ahmed, all 20 years old. Jason Eaton has just been arraigned for the shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont. He is charged with three counts of 2nd degree attempted murder. He is being held without bail. pic.twitter.com/y7vsBA7hid
— Abed A. Ayoub (@aayoub) November 27, 2023
The shooting occurred outside the apartment building where Eaton lives, near the University of Vermont, the night before.
The victims had been visiting one of the victim's relatives for Thanksgiving and were wearing Keffiyehs — traditional Palestinian scarves, according to the Burlington Police Department.
Burlington police chief Jon Murad said that around 6.30 p.m. on Saturday, Eaton stepped off his porch, pulled out a gun, and opened fire on the students. He then fled the scene on foot.
All three victims are currently receiving medical treatment.
A search warrant was executed at Eaton's home on Sunday evening.
"Evidence collected during that search warrant, and additional evidence developed during the course of this investigation, gave investigators and prosecutors probable cause to believe that Mr. Eaton perpetrated the shooting," the department said in a statement.
A motive or explanation of what happened in the lead up to the shooting had not been made public as of Monday afternoon.
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger called the shooting a “horrific, unprovoked attack” and “one of the most shocking and disturbing events in this city’s history.”
The FBI's Albany field office is continuing to work with local law enforcement and "actively investigate" if the shooting was a hate crime.
"Our office has deployed numerous technical, forensic, and investigative resources in support of the investigation, to include victim services, and computer and cell phone analysis," the FBI wrote in a statement posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "We will bring all these resources to bear to determine any potential factors and motives and work with all parties involved to bring those responsible to justice." VICE News has reviewed social media accounts belonging to Jason Eaton, the man charged with shooting the three Palestinian students.
“In a now-locked account on X, he describes himself as a “radical citizen” who patrols “demockracy and crapitalism for oathcreepers.” His banner… pic.twitter.com/wJgverEfXD
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) November 27, 2023
Police Chief Murad said in a statement on Sunday, "In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime."
VICE News reviewed social media accounts linked to Eaton, as well as records via the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. They found that he worked as a broker and financial adviser since 2002.
Vice reports:In a now-locked account on X, he describes himself as a “radical citizen” who patrols “demockracy and crapitalism for oathcreepers.” His banner image features big bold text, saying “Libertarians want trans furrys (sic) to be able to protect their cannabis farms with unregistered machine guns.”
Superior Court Judge Gregory Rainville ordered Eatton be held without bail.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has said that the Department of Justice is "closely monitoring" the case.
"All of us have also seen a sharp increase in the volume and frequency of threats against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities across our country since October 7," Garland said, referring to the date that launched the war between Israel and Hamas. "There is understandable fear in communities across the country, even as we speak, the ATF and the FBI are investigating the tragic shooting of three men of Palestinian descent in Vermont. That investigation, including whether this is a hate crime is ongoing."
Garland added that there will be updates from law enforcement regarding the case "soon."
According to a report from ABC News, Awartani is a student at Brown University in Rhode Island, Abdalhamid attends Haverford College in Pennsylvania and Ahmed is enrolled at Trinity College in Connecticut.
The families have issued a joint statement asking for the shooting to be treated as a hate crime.
"As parents, we are devastated by the horrific news that our children were targeted and shot in Burlington, VT," the statement said. "At this time, our primary concern is their full recovery and that they receive the critical medical support they need to survive. We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children."
