November 27, 2023
The man accused of shooting three Palestinian college students in Vermont on Saturday, including a Haverford College student, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of attempted murder, officials said.
Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arrested Sunday at an apartment building near the shooting scene in Burlington. Eaton allegedly opened fire Saturday at the three students, who are lifelong friends attending different U.S. colleges, as they were walking to a dinner at the home of one of their relatives, police said.
The students suffered non-fatal injuries. The shooting is now being investigated as a possible hate crime.
The Haverford student, Kinnan Abdalhamid, 20, is a biology major and a member of the track and field team at the Delaware County college. The two others are Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University in Rhode Island, and Ali Ahmad, who is attending Trinity College in Connecticut. As children, all three attended the private, Quaker-run Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank.
In a statement, Haverford College officials said the school has been in contact with members of Abdalhamid's family, who live overseas. They added that Haverford "condemns all acts of hatred" and will "work toward peace within our community and everywhere."
"Please join us in holding Kinnan, his friends, their families, and their communities in the light at this awful moment, as we come together in community in support of one another," President Wendy Raymond and Dean of the College John McKnight said.
The shooting happened as tensions run high over the war between Israel and Hamas. The FBI has reported a surge in bias incidents against Muslims and Jews in the United States since early October. Last month, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy allegedly was stabbed to death in Illinois by his family's landlord, who was charged with a hate crime in addition to first-degree murder and other offenses.
Prior to Saturday's shooting, Abdalhamid, a junior, and other Haverford students had been critical of Haverford College's response to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Haverford Clerk reported.
Kinnan Abdalhamid is one of the 3 Palestinian American students who were shot in Vermont. He's pre-med at Haverford College. His mom says biology is his favorite subject, but is gifted in all sciences.
— Dena Takruri (@Dena) November 27, 2023
Kinnan is also a recently certified EMT and loves helping people. pic.twitter.com/d7QC4dc3ne
On Sunday, Abdalhamid's family shared a joint statement with the families of the other students through the Institute for Middle East Understanding. They called for a thorough investigation into the motivation for the shooting. The students reportedly were speaking Arabic at the time of shooting and two of them were wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyah scarves. Eaton allegedly opened fire without speaking to them.
"We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice," the families said. "We need to ensure that our children are protected, and this heinous crime is not repeated. No family should ever have to endure this pain and agony. Our children are dedicated students who deserve to be able to focus on their studies and building their futures."
In a subsequent statement, released Monday afternoon, the students' families said there has been too much tolerance and promotion of hateful views in the U.S.
"As parents of Palestinian children, we fear for the safety of our families as U.S. media and even elected officials from the highest levels of government have repeated racist and dehumanizing language in recent weeks, contributing to a heightened environment of racism and violence toward Palestinians and Arabs," the families said. "This hateful rhetoric emboldens people to act with violence."
Abdalhamid's uncle, Radi Tamimi, told the Daily Beast that the family had wanted him to study in the United States because they thought it would be a safer environment.
"Kinnan grew up in the West Bank and we always thought that that could be more of a risk in terms of his safety and sending him here would be, you know, the right decision," Tamimi said. "We feel somehow betrayed in that decision here and, you know, we're just trying to come to terms with everything."
Eaton was arrested by ATF agents and reportedly told them, "I've been waiting for you." Investigators recovered a pistol from his home and are analyzing ballistic evidence from the shooting scene, which is near the campus of the University of Vermont. Eaton is being held without bail in the Chittenden County Jail.
Officials at the Ramallah Friends School, where the students met, said the shooting is a reflection of "the dehumanization of Palestinians" that puts their lives at risk.
"Let this incident be a stark reminder of the urgent need to challenge and change the discourse that deems us as anything less than fully human," school officials said in a statement.
