Vermont Man Pleads Not Guilty in Shooting of 3 Students of Palestinian Descent

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A Vermont man pleaded not guilty on Monday to three counts of second-degree attempted murder in the shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent. 

The Details: The suspect, 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton, was arrested on Sunday after allegedly shooting the students outside his apartment building near the University of Vermont on Saturday afternoon. The students, two of which were reportedly wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, were walking by when the suspect allegedly fired at them with a handgun “without speaking.” Local police said two of the students were in stable condition, but the third had suffered “much more serious injuries.”

For Context: Amid the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime.

Key Quote: Regarding the suspect’s motive, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said, “I would urge the public and you in the media to avoid making conclusions based on statements from people who know even less than we currently do.”

How the Media Covered It: Left-rated outlets appeared more likely to promote the story prominently on homepages. Some online coverage differed in identifying the students as being “men of Palestinian descent” or just “Palestinian”; police said two of the students are U.S. citizens and one is a legal resident.

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The man accused of shooting three college students of Palestinian descent in a possible hate crime was arraigned in Vermont on Monday morning and pleaded not guilty.

Jason J. Eaton was charged with three counts of 2nd degree attempted murder.

Eaton is being held without bail in connection with Saturday's shootings of Kinnan Abdalhamid, Tahseen Ahmed and Hisham Awartani in Burlington.

Jason J. Eaton, 48, lived in an apartment building at the shooting scene. 

A 48-year-old man pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in the shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday night — as the alleged gunman’s mother revealed he had previously struggled with depression.

Jason Eaton, 48, was taken into custody Sunday afternoon after he was identified as a suspect. He pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the second degree on Monday and is being held without bail.

Investigators are “working hard” to determine the motive behind a shooting that left three Palestinian college students wounded in Vermont, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said Monday.

“We still do not know as much as we want to know,” Murad said at a press conference two days after the shooting. “But I would urge the public and you in the media to avoid making conclusions based on statements from people who know even less than we currently do. We are working hard to find out this information.”