HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut communities are reacting after police arrested a suspect in the shooting of three young men of Palestinian descent, including a Trinity College student, Saturday evening.
The three were visiting family and friends in Vermont, walking around the block after a birthday celebration.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), in a statement from victims’ families on X, formerly known as Twitter, identified the men as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad.
In the most recent statement, the families said, in part, "We are relieved by the news that the person responsible for this horrific and hateful attack against our children has been arrested and charged. The second-degree murder charges the suspect faces are an important and welcomed first step towards bringing justice and accountability for our sons."
One of the victims, Tahseen Ali Ahmad, is a junior at Trinity College in Hartford.
In a statement to the campus community, Trinity College President Joanne Berger-Sweeney said, in part: "We remain shocked and saddened by the news this weekend of the shooting in Burlington, Vermont, of three students of Palestinian descent, including our own Tahseen Aliahmad ’26. This morning, we learned that a suspect has been arrested. Several community members, including Student Life staff, professors, and classmates, have been able to be with Tahseen in Vermont or have been directly in touch. At this moment, our priority is Tahseen’s safety and full recovery and his ability to see his family. The Student Life staff have shared resources to support our community and are talking with Tahseen about how we can assist his family, who live in the West Bank, while they care for him from such a great distance. Additionally, we are grateful to alumni and friends who have reached out generously with offers of support for Tahseen and his family."
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Jason J. Eaton, 48, while conducting a search of the shooting area in Burlington on Sunday, the Burlington Police Department said in a statement.
Authorities collected evidence during a search of Eaton’s apartment in a building in front of the shooting location. He charged with three counts of Attempted Murder, and his lawyer entered a plea of 'not guilty' in court on Monday.
Investigators say it's too soon to label the incident as a hate crime, although it was certainly a "hateful act." Burlington Police Chief John Murad, who expressed sympathies for the victims and their families, said there is no additional information to suggest a motive.
Two of the victims are U.S. citizens, and the third is in the country with legal permission. Two of the men were wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, Murad said. They were also switching between speaking Arabic and English moments before they were shot, Murad said.
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“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven,” Murad said in a statement Sunday.
“The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now,” Murad added. “But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”
Local communities and Connecticut representatives are voicing their concerns regarding the shooting.
“I would say that our community is very afraid. Afraid that out of nowhere they can be targeted, shot, beaten up or otherwise have violence perpetrated against them," said Farhan Memon, Council on American-Islamic Relations Connecticut Chair (CAIR). "(It's] the most American thing that you can do, right? Come home from college, visit some friends and family, walk down the street after a Thanksgiving meal. Nothing could be more American than that and yet, Muslim-Americans, those who can be visibly identified as Muslim, either because they wear a headscarf as a hijab or speak Arabic or wear a keffiyeh, are targeted by people who have bias."
Rep. John Larsen, in a statement, said that his heart goes out to the students:
The entire Hartford community stands with them, and we pray for their swift recovery. I am pleased to learn that a suspect has been apprehended and lend my complete support to efforts by law enforcement to investigate this senseless shooting as a hate crime. There is an urgent need to address the rise of Islamophobic hate across the nation. I support the Justice Department’s commitment to work with religious and community leaders to counter hate and will continue to press my colleagues in Congress to take action to root out racist extremism and end gun violence.
Local college students are also voicing their concerns and fears following the shooting.
"The community feels devastated about the attack that just happened because we've all worn our keffiyehs around campus throughout these past 50 days, and we've all gotten stares, we've all gotten people commenting, 'baby killers' and 'terrorists,' so that really could have been us," said Jenna R., a member of UConn Students for Justice in Palestine who did not want to be identified by her last name.
Ramallah Friends School, a private school located in the West Bank, posted a statement on Facebook saying the three young men were graduates.
"It is also imperative to address the broader context in Palestine and the deeply pressing issue at the heart of this incident – the dehumanization of Palestinians. Tragically, this incident is yet another example of the diminished regard for the lives, suffering, and inherent humanity of Palestinians. 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; people who are deserving of empathy, compassion, rights, life, freedom, and happiness," the school said in its statement.
The local Connecticut communities are also now calling for justice.
"At the end of the day, I hope Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims and anyone who's under threat right now has the full security to live and exist without constant threat. I'm also hoping American universities do better, step up to the plate, be there for their students," said Jenna R.
"Right now, we are once again seeing a resurgence of anti-Muslim feeling in this country," said Memon.
The FBI in Albany, New York, posted a statement late Sunday on X saying the bureau is actively investigating the shooting with the Burlington Police Department, the ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.
As for Trinity College, they are providing resources on campus for anyone impacted by the incident. The college is also hosting a vigil on Wednesday, which was scheduled before the shooting took place.
"While news from Israel and Gaza continues to shake the world, our community is grappling with a range of emotions—anger, grief, uncertainty, and fear, to name a few. We fully acknowledge that some may feel anxiety about being attacked in the face of rising anti-Palestinian, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobic rhetoric, and some may feel intense sadness from devastating accounts of war. We will continue to hold the previously planned vigil for all the lives lost; it will take place on Wednesday, November 29, at 4:45 p.m. This vigil takes on a new meaning for our community as a show of support for Tahseen and his friends," President Berger-Sweeney said in a statement Monday.
Angelo Bavaro is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at abavaro@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook and X.
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