Vermont police arrest suspect in shooting of 3 Palestinian students near university

Jason Eaton, 48, was arrested for the shooting of three Palestinian students near the University of Vermont. (edited) New 9:48Source: Burlington Police Department

A 48-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting and wounding of three Palestinian students who were walking near the University of Vermont, police said Monday morning.

The suspect, Jason Eaton, is due to be arraigned Monday in Chittenden County Court in Burlington, Vermont. He was detained Sunday afternoon by police.

Cops said Eaton lives in an apartment building near the shooting scene, and that a search of his residence home uncovered evidence that gave authorities “probable cause to believe that Mr. Eaton perpetrated the shooting,” NBC News reported.

The victims, three men all aged 20, were shot Saturday night in Burlington on their way to a Thanksgiving dinner at one of their relative's homes.

Two of the men wearing keffiyeh scarves typically worn by Palestinians, police said.

The shooting occurred as Islamophobia and antisemitism had escalated against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, which was in a military pause to ensure the safe passage of released hostages.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke about the attack during a visit Monday to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, New York.

“There is understandable fear in communities across the country,” Garland said.

“Even as we speak, the [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms] and the FBI are investigating the tragic shooting and three men of Palestinian descent in Vermont,” Garland said. “That investigation, including whether this is a hate crime, is ongoing.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations in a statement Monday said, “We welcome the arrest of a suspect in this shooting, and we encourage law enforcement to file state and federal hate crime charges if the evidence confirms that anti-Palestinian racism motivated this attack.”

“We also call on elected officials to reject and condemn the rise in anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Palestinian racism that has led to hate crimes, discrimination, and censorship targeting everyone from students to workers to protestors who dare to speak up for Palestinian human rights,” said CAIR national executive Director Nihad Awad in that statement.

Two of the victims were in stable condition as of Sunday, while the other had more serious injuries, police said.

All three victims together attended a Quaker school in the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

They currently are students at Brown University, Haverford College and Trinity College in the United States.

Earlier in November, President Joe Biden announced what the White House called the “first-ever” national program to counter Islamophobia.

Biden was briefed on the shooting Sunday.

The victims' families in a joint statement called on police to treat the shooting as a hate crime, saying, “Our children are dedicated students who deserve to be able to focus on their studies and building their futures.”

The Burlington Police Department said it was investigating the shooting as a possible 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,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement.

“And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it's proven,” Murad said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, in a tweet Sunday wrote, “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. My thoughts are with them and their families,” Sanders wrote.

— Additional reporting by CNBC's Kevin Breuninger