Three young men of Palestinian descent who were in Burlington for a Thanksgiving holiday gathering were shot and wounded — one seriously — near the University of Vermont, police said Sunday. Authorities said the attack may have been a hate crime.
According to Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad, the shootings happened Saturday around 6:25 p.m. near the UVM campus. He said police are looking for the shooter.
Two of the men are in stable condition and the other suffered “much more serious injuries,” Murad said in a news release on Sunday. The three, all in their 20s, were visiting one of the victim’s relatives and were walking when they were confronted by a white man with a gun.
“Without saying anything, he fired at least four bullets and is believed to have fled,” Murad said in a news release. “All three victims were hit, two in the torso and one in the lower extremities.”
Murad said all three men are of Palestinian descent. Two are US citizens and one is a legal resident. Two of the men wore black and white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.
Murad said there is no additional information suggesting the suspect’s motive.
“My deepest condolences go out to the victims and their families,” Murad said in the press release. “At this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it was a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in contact with federal investigative and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it is proven.”
He added: “The fact is that at this point we don’t know as much as we would like. But I urge the public not to draw conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”
Before Murad issued his press release, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement on Sunday saying the victims were Palestinian-American students and that there is “reason to believe that this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”
The ADC said a man shouted and harassed the victims, who were talking in Arabic, and then shot them.
The FBI says it is aware of the shootings.
“If information regarding a possible federal violation comes to light during the course of the local investigation, the FBI stands prepared to investigate,” Sarah Ruane, an FBI spokesperson based in Albany, New York, said in a statement.
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting and will continue to receive updates as law enforcement gathers more information.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shootings, the organization said in a statement.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding issued a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it described as coming from the families of the victims.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the organization said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We won’t feel comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”
Responding to the shooting, US Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged people to “unequivocally denounce the surprising rise of anti-Arab hatred and Islamophobia in America.”
“No one should ever be targeted in our country because of their ethnicity or religious beliefs,” the New York Democrat said in the statement on X. “We will not let hate win.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, also denounced the attack.
“It is shocking and deeply disturbing that three young Palestinians have been shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate belongs here and nowhere. I look forward to a full investigation,” Sanders said in a statement. “My thoughts are with them and their families.”
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said any indication that the shooting could have been motivated by hate is “chilling.” Gov. Phil Scott called it a tragedy.
“I urge Vermonters to unite to help the community heal and not let this incident incite more hatred or division,” Scott said. “We must come together in these difficult times – it is the only way to end the violence we encounter. you see.”
Demonstrations are widespread and tensions are escalating in the United States as the death toll rises in the war between Israel and Hamas. A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas revived on Sunday as the militants freed more hostages and Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners, all young men. It is the third exchange under the four-day ceasefire.
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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire.