By Michael Donoghue
Vermont News First
A version of this news story appeared in the Caledonian-Record today
The three shooting victims in a the latest gunfire incident in Burlington are students from Palestinian territories and were visiting a relative of one of the young men in Vermont’s largest city, according to law enforcement, diplomatic and media sources.
President Joe Biden, who was vacationing on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, was briefed about the shooting, according to the White House Press pool. The White House said Biden, who was going to head back to Washington Sunday afternoon, will get more updates as law enforcement gathers more information.
The 3 wounded students had graduated from Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker-run private nonprofit school in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to the school.
The students, all age 20, were identified by their former school as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahliamed.
Abdel Hamid attends Haverford College in Pennsylvania where the school confirmed he was a junior and was recovering at a hospital from gunshot wounds, CNN reported. He was believed hit in the buttocks.
Hisham Awartani, who studies archeology at Brown University, was shot in the back and Tahseen Ahliamed, who is a student at Trinity College, was shot in the chest, the school said.
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, posted on X about the incident, also naming the students and identifying them as “three young Palestinian men,” according to both CNN and Fox News.
He said the students were headed to a family dinner in Burlington when shot about 6:25 p.m. Saturday.
“Their crime? Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. They are critically injured,” Zomlot posted. Keffiyeh is an Arab kerchief or scarf worn as a headdress.
“The hate crimes against Palestinians must stop. Palestinians everywhere need protection,” Zomlot wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In a statement from the shooting victims’ families, they said, “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime.”
Burlington Police have made no arrests and appear to have few leads.
Area law enforcement said they were told Saturday night to be on the watch for a white man, about 30 years-old with a mustache and wearing a gray sweatshirt and dark pants.
The shootings happened near 69 North Prospect Street – which is about 3 blocks south from the Ohavi Zedek Synagogue — near the University of Vermont main campus.
Two victims were found at the shooting scene and the third student was found nearby — behind 77 Mansfield Avenue.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced it was offering a $10,000 reward for “information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator or perpetrators” of the shooting.
The short-staffed Burlington Police Department said it summoned multiple federal, state and local law enforcement to help investigate the case. Gov. Phil Scott has pledged full support from the state, his spokesman said Sunday.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas “Kolo” Kerest could not be reached for comment on Sunday. An office spokesman Kerest was aware of the shooting, but was withholding comment as the investigation unfolds.
By Sunday night, a second statement was issued saying his office would “assess the evidence generated to determine whether a federal crime may have been committed.”
In these kinds of cases, it is standard protocol for Kerest to notify the main office of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Burlington Police said the three wounded men remain at the UVM Medical Center with two listed as stable, including one with more serious injuries. While names of shooting victims are public by law, Chief Jon Murad declined to confirm the identities that were being widely circulated by family, friends and others. Murad did say all three victims are of Palestinian descent — two are U.S. citizens and one is a legal resident.
Murad, in a news release Sunday afternoon, also confirmed two victims were wearing keffiyehs at the time of the shootings. The chief gave no direct indication the case was being treated as a hate crime, but hinted it was not hard to think about it.
“At this time, there is no additional information to suggest the suspect’s motive, such as statements or remarks by the suspect,” Murad said in his email Sunday afternoon.
“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime,” Murad wrote.
“The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now. But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less,” he said. It was unclear if Murad was directing his comment at families of the victims, the Palestinian ambassador, the U.S. colleges where the student attend or others.
Preliminary investigation determined all three young men were visiting the home of one victim’s relatives in Burlington for the Thanksgiving holiday, police said. The three Palestinian men were walking on North Prospect Street when they were confronted by a white man on foot with a handgun, police said.
Burlington Police said the man, without speaking, discharged at least four rounds from a pistol and he is believed to have fled on foot. All three victims were struck, two in their torsos – reportedly in the chest and back. The third man was hit in the lower extremity – believed to be his buttocks.
Gov. Scott was upset to learn about the latest senseless gun violence case in Burlington on Saturday, his spokesman said.
“The Governor is shocked and deeply disturbed by the shooting of three young Palestinian men in Burlington yesterday. He is in contact with Burlington city leadership and has offered the State’s full support to the City and the Burlington Police Department as they lead the investigation,” Press Secretary Jason Maulucci told Vermont News First.
“Vermont State Police have also been in contact with BPD and other law enforcement to offer any support they can provide, “ he said. “The Governor will remain in contact with his team and city leadership throughout the day.”
Maulucci said Scott hopes for a swift recovery for the wounded trio and that eventually everybody can come together to work toward peace.
Vermont News First reported shortly after the shooting that Burlington Fire and Rescue, wearing tactical gear, attended to the first two injured and transported them to UVM Medical Center. Burlington Police reportedly brought the third victim to the hospital.
Independent News Videographer Wayne Savage captured four heavily-armed police officers entering a residence on North Prospect Street and shouting their presence.
Special agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene to help the short-staffed Burlington Police. The FBI also reportedly has joined the investigation.
Members of the Chittenden County Violent Crime Task Force, which was formed by the ATF earlier this year because of the large number of Burlington area shootings, several of them gang-related, also were called out. The task force is staffed by members from the ATF, state police, game wardens, state motor vehicle enforcement inspectors, and local police officers from municipal departments, including South Burlington and Milton.
A Vermont Fish and Wildlife warden with his K-9 was among those searching the crime area and appeared to pick up a trail for a short distance, but later lost it.
An Audi was reported seen fleeing the area, but it was unclear if it was connected to the shooting.
Investigators recovered some ballistic evidence that will be submitted to the federal database. They continue to conduct and re-conduct neighborhood canvases and witness interviews. Murad said.
The politicians lined up to offer their comments on Sunday.
“It is shocking and deeply upsetting that three young Palestinians were shot here in Burlington,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. said in a statement from his office. The former mayor of Burlington added, “Hate has no place here, or anywhere. I look forward to a full investigation. My thoughts are with them and their families.”
Current Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, who has said he won’t seek re-election in March, denounced the shooting.
“Violence of any kind against any person in our community is totally unacceptable and we will do everything in our power to find the perpetrator and hold them fully accountable,” he said.
While Chief Murad avoided mention of the shooting being a hate crime. Weinberger, who is considering a run for Governor, wasn’t afraid.
“That there is an indication this shooting could have been motivated by hate is chilling, and this possibility is being prioritized in the BPD’s investigation. The City of Burlington has zero tolerance for hate crimes and will work relentlessly to bring the shooter to justice.”
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Categories: Burlington, Crime
Sadly, the crime beat goes on in Burlington…defunding the police is absolutely the most stupid direction the disillusioned is taking…
Sadly, the crime beat continues in Burlington…defunding the police is the most inane and stupid answer this politically reprehensible approach is taking to resolve the problem…catch and release encourages the criminals…one hellish option of the loony leftists.
notice this is the only gun crime reported by Vermont Digger? And thankfully these men weren’t killed.
How come nobody cared about all the other people that were KILLED??
Notice how this story has so much filled in as fact, and to ascertain a certain perspective, so far most of the shootings in Vermont have been drug related crimes, so why wouldn’t this be first thought of as such?
These are the most mundanely dressed men in all of Burlington, surely, they did not stand out from the crown, because they had a scarf on? And we’re supposed to believe that? How would anyone know they are from Palestinian descent?
Neil: A suspect in this case has already been arrested. 48-year-old Burlington resident Jason J. Eaton.
But it is curious that this shooting incident has been reported to this extent. It’s not only reported on every local tabloid (broadcast, digital and print), it’s nationwide, on NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, Reuters, FOX, the NYT, the AP, Forbes… Our local politicians (Balint, Welch, Sanders, Scott, Weinberger) have all commented. Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger called the violence “unacceptable… the City of Burlington has zero tolerance for hate crimes and will work relentlessly to bring the shooter to justice.”
What about the actual murders in Burlington this year? Burlington has one of the highest Crime Indexes of any city in the country (worst 5%).
Why the uproar (an understatement, to be sure) this time? And why, when I search for stories on Burlington’s 2023 crime statistics, do the search engines and the MSM prioritize stories only about these Palestinian victims – pages and pages of links – despite the fact that these shootings were not fatal?
I understand the current emphasis on the Israeli/Gaza conflict. But the coverage on this specific incident is beyond the pale.
Indeed. Far less coverage when people are actually killed. But I think they’re all hoping this will be some juicy Islamophobia attack and they can all rail against it and get lots of PR. Gotta confess I do enjoy the mental image of a Unitarian leftist doing this. But leftists are nuts anyway.
Funny how it’s just fine to shoot them in Gaza tho, amirite?
But in any case, there will likely be a narrative-busting twist to this story. Drug deal, personal conflict, or maybe just not some random Trumpian white supremacist, like the salivating leftist media is already so desperately hoping.
Very rarely do Trump supporters do such things. Mostly, violence comes from the Left.
Well, well this is starting to sound just a little fishy, but then again Burlington has become a cesspool of crime, thank you, liberals !! I don’t believe just because these three were wearing some form of clothing as Palestinian men, was the cause, If you walked around Burlington, it looks like the United Nations, these guys didn’t stand out because of some scarf they were wearing, again this sounds a little fishy……….
Keep de-funding the Police, and let criminals walk !!
So, I want to start with a simple statement: While I abhor senseless violence, this event is far from senseless, it is, IN MY OPINION, a FALSE FLAG.
All the earmarks are there.
1 A state that is loaded with gun owners
2 They were the presently “protected person type”.
3 There was no deaths
4 No suspects
5 They have a past and present association with liberal “anti hate” groups or other similar organizations and the “victims” are for all intents and purposes now “poster children” for taking guns away from we the people.
6 This kind of thing, of late, happens when the gubment has or is about to do something that violates our rights or kills people or some such thing. Look into the recent past of “random and unclear “ shootings.
7 Think the new/ old disputed law about Rule 2.13 “Isolation and Quarantine Procedures” in New York state. This law, not nullified, will be a blueprint in other states to implement the same thing.
8 Winter is coming to Vermont and there are over 3000 EV vehicles that will stop working due to the cold and that will stop the EV propaganda in its tracks. Pardon the pun.
9 Vermont added a fee of upwards of .$70 per gallon on heating fuel to start, how many people in the state will freeze or go hungry or get sick by neglect just to stay warm.
10 This exact same thing happens each and every time the gubment is about to start something with a foreign country or with us. Either way it is not going to be good for us. Yes I repeat myself.
Just like the J6 lie and covid lie, the vaxx lie, the George Floyd lie, we will find out, eventually that this was all a setup to advance an agenda.
11 It is awfully convenient that with all the gun violence happening in Vermont now, that one of the shootings just so happens to be Palestinian and also notice that the shootings were by all accounts, a very permanent solution for the perp. Shots to the head and so on. Makes you ask the question: Who were the patsies that did this for what organization?
Notice the calls from all these politicians and even the president, (yeah sure) is looking at this.
No, this is not a conspiracy theory (CIA created the term)it is a genuine PLAN.
If you really take an honest look at all the things the libs/progressives have done, just in the last 10 years for example, to “help” and keep safe, We The People or to “save our democracy” it all amounts to a power grab and control scheme by nefarious people.
Open your eyes people, the devil is real and he wants you under heel and just wants your children.
“False flag” Get help
Greg, your denial does not make the reality untrue.
American history is full of false flag events that propelled us into wars and or into sending weapons of war to some other people to bomb someone to extinction.
I figured I would get a few but look at other articles and comments on this story, keeps changing. Now his identity has bee revealed we see as always a nut lefty. Still no clue as to the gun. Could have even been a BB gun for all we know.
No, you give nothing but a whimpering. It appears that they have fooled at least one person (you) into believing it is not a plan or plot. Snipe at someone who did his homework before commenting. Not that this is a compliment or a invitation, but you sound like Chris with less words of mis-information.
Somebody’s had too much to think
Shannon McLamb, you explained it succinctly.
$1000 the shooter is a right-wing MAGA 2nd amendment guy scared of someone who looks different. Any takers?
Pam, can you please just leave me alone and focus on the fact that 3 people were shot because of anti-muslim rhetoric promoted by the bad Orange man.
Chris,
You really should be put in jail for beating this dead horse so much or at the least reported to PETA. Same reason.
Chris, you hide behind anonymity and simply spout rhetoric. Repeating the Party line is basic to fascism.
If you want to know what motivates people like Chris…. watch this.
No, he won’t admit it. That wouldn’t be in character.
Victor Davis Hansen gets it….
‘Brace Yourself For What’s Coming in 2024’
Jay, cute video there, and I don’t think that I’m better than you at all. (Pam maybe) but I think that you guys spent four years yelling F your feelings and can’t handle the present. Do you think, that I, an educated man like Joe Biden, or he is the least bad option?
You know what the difference is between me and you guys? I watched your video, I listen to you and hear how scared you are that many of you have lost your fastball or that it isn’t the “good old days” and it makes you feel powerless. You wouldn’t dare give me the same courtesy, instead you (you especially) project. My uncle RAN the Republican party in the 90’s and would roll over in his grave if he saw what its become. I’m here to show you how ridiculous you are and to bring you back and fight the progressives, but you guys are so far right that you lost your sense of direction. Phil Scott is the only way back.
So far it turns out he apparently is a Unitarian Universalist, a vaccine skeptic and a supporter of Sterling College…a hotbed of moonbat philosophy. Clearly a confused product of the radical left, so we can expect this story to soon disappear off the media radar screen. Nice try at pinning this on MAGA people, Chris.
Well you’re wrong, hesva lefty eco warrior
There are a whole lot of assumptions being made by both the reporter and the commentors. It’s always amusing to watch people perform calisthenics when something occurs. You know, jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle, and running off at the mouth…
There are so many made in the article and then the nasty trolls roll in to make a two-line snarky comment…trolls that will expound on the long hours they work while always having time to read and comment. Makes you wonder.
But the writing could be far more objective. For example, a true and honest reporter doesn’t write that an “Audi was reported seen fleeing the area, but it was unclear if it was connected to the shooting.” The word fleeing is meant to infer evading while leaving is a more accurate term, as is departing. One cannot make such a statement about the intent of the driver of the vehicle but could about the actions observed. If so, then the witness would have elaborated and said a person/man ran to the vehicle, or moved quickly or words to that effect and jumped into the vehicle and rapidly left the area or sped off. Maybe add squealing tires if appropriate. But that one line makes me question everything else in the piece.
Secondly, the writer intentionally puts in a comment by Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Ambassador in the UK…. like why would his opinion be of importance to a crime in Vermont? And the comment is outrageous. He states: “naming the students and identifying them as “three young Palestinian men,” according to both CNN and Fox News.
He said the students were headed to a family dinner in Burlington when shot about 6:25 p.m. Saturday.
“Their crime? Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. They are critically injured,” Zomlot posted. Keffiyeh is an Arab kerchief or scarf worn as a headdress.
“The hate crimes against Palestinians must stop. Palestinians everywhere need protection,”
He must know far more about the details of the crime in Vermont than the law enforcement officers know. He has already ascertained the assault was due to the keffiyeh. Now we know Mr. Zomlot has telepathy. How exciting for him.
I could go on but it’s exhausting keeping up with the hyperbole. I implore the VDC readers not to go off halfcocked and spout half-truths. The left/progressive/liberal trash will do that all by themselves and need no help from us. Our job is to ask hard questions.
Force statements to be verified and backed up by facts. So, let’s get busy, shall we? Let’s let Mr. Donoghue know what we think about his piece.
I request that Mr. Page pass on our comments to him if he doesn’t deign to read them of his own accord.
Mr. Donoghue’s reporting is factual and without commentary or bias. Just facts and statements. Donoghue’s Facebook page report was even more concise. I would call out WCAX’s initial reporting on their website as biased and inflammatory, written by an aspiring novelist- not a news reporter. That story has since been edited and the grammar changed.
This crime has already been hijacked by the media, the left and pro-palestinian supporters to a pre-determined result attempting to link this to the “right wing”.
Facts won’t get in the way of emotion and stirring up liberal sympathies- for this crime or any other that can be remotely linked to non- leftist rhetoric.
Donoghue, as is his typical reporting style kept to the facts and comments by others that have interjected themselves into this tragic crime.
Mr. Bammo, I have no issue or quarrel with you. My opinion is that the article authored by Mr. Donoghue is full of assumptions. That is an inescapable fact. As I noted above. Why you feel the need to defend him or imply that I am some liberal sympathizer will get you nowhere. I call a spade a spade, regardless of your political affiliations or indoctrination.
Probably half of Burlington wears a keffiyeh because it’s just so woke to do so. Absolutely nothing would identify these guys as Arabs here as mostly non Arabs like to be seen wearing them. I dunno. It sounds kinda strange. And it was dark out that time of night. But everyone immediately jumps into the whole Islamophobia bit when in reality, most hate crimes are committed against Jews. But this will give the leftist sites something to write about; for sure they will never cover a pro Israel rally!
Vermont is a haven for violent militants seeking refuge from arrest for crimes.
And draft dodgers.