UPDATE: Suspect Jason Eaton Pleads Not Guilty in Shooting Three Palestinian Students in Burlington, VT – City Leaders Hold a Press Conference (VIDEO)

As reported earlier – Three top Palestinian college students were shot in what is being characterized as a “bias attack.”  The victims, who were attending woke institutions such as Harvard, Brown University, and Trinity University, were targeted while on their way to a family dinner in Vermont’s bustling city of Burlington, the New York Post reported.

Details of the encounter are still sketchy.

The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) named the individuals involved as Hiham Awartani, Tahseen Ali, and Kenan Abdulhamid, who had gathered to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday break.

According to WCAX: “The suspect was on foot in the area when investigators say he discharged at least four rounds from his pistol without speaking. Two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs at the time of the assault, according to Chief Murad.”

Authorities transported the victims to the University of Vermont Medical Center. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) reported that two of the individuals were in intensive care, with one suffering from extremely critical and severe injuries.

On Sunday, Burlington police detained Jason Eaton, 48, near where the shooting occurred.

Eaton lived in the building near where the shooting occurred.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and the Burlington Police Chief held a press conference on Monday afternoon after Eaton was arraigned in court.

Mayor Weinberger called the incident an “unprovoked attack” that shocked the community. Weinberger says he has been in contact with Muslim leaders in how Burlington can support their communities.

Eaton was charged with three charges of attempted murder.

He pleaded not guilty earlier this morning.

Newsweek reported:

He was detained at around midday on Sunday near where the shooting occurred. Police searched his home in the apartment building in front of where the shooting took place and arrested him on Sunday evening.

Eaton faces three counts of aggravated assault, police said. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday. Newsweek has contacted the Burlington Police Department for further comment via email.

Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad were identified by their families as the victims, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter, from the Institute for Middle East Understanding. Awartani is a student at Brown University, Abdalhamid is a student at Haverford College and Ahmed is a student at Trinity College.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”

Police released a statement on Jason Eaton’s arrest:

Throughout the day on Sunday, November 26, 2023, investigators led by Lieutenant Michael Beliveau of the Burlington Police Department’s Detectives Services Bureau conducted a series of canvasses, interviews, and other investigatory procedures in an effort to identify, locate, and apprehend the suspect believed to have shot three 20-year-old men the previous evening. The BPD’s detectives were augmented by a contingent of personnel from long-term partners in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with whom the BPD regularly works through the Chittenden County Gun Violence Task Force (CCGVTF). The BPD also received outstanding assistance from agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including victim services and computer and cellphone analysis.

On Sunday afternoon, at approximately 1538 hours, ATF agents who were conducting a canvass at the location of the shooting encountered and detained Jason J. Eaton, 48. Detectives worked with the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, and with the Chittenden County State’s Attorney, Sarah George, to complete a search warrant for Mr. Eaton’s residence in the apartment building in front of which the shooting took place. A judge granted the search warrant and officers executed it at 2153 hours. 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. He has been arrested and is expected to be arraigned on Monday, November 27, 2023.

Mayor Miro Weinberger will be joined by Chief of Police Jon Murad and other partners at a press conference on Monday, November 27, 2023. The time, location, and other details will be provided later this morning.

48-year-old Jason Eaton has been arrested in connection with the shootings of three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont, authorities say https://t.co/AGOqZkTRja

— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) November 27, 2023

The post UPDATE: Suspect Jason Eaton Pleads Not Guilty in Shooting Three Palestinian Students in Burlington, VT – City Leaders Hold a Press Conference (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.