A man named Jason J. Eaton, 48, was apprehended by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Sunday afternoon, following a shooting incident near the University of Vermont that left three young Palestinian men injured.
The Burlington Police Department confirmed Eaton’s arrest, which took place during a search operation in Burlington at 3:38 p.m. Evidence was also collected from Eaton’s apartment, located near the scene of the shooting. He is set to face arraignment on Monday.
The shooting, which occurred on Saturday evening during a Thanksgiving gathering, is being investigated as a potential hate crime. The three victims, all 20 years old, were shot by a white male assailant while they were walking.
Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad reported that two victims were hit in their torsos and one in the lower body. Two of the injured are U.S. citizens, and the third is a legal resident, with two wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves at the time of the attack.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee suggested that the shooting may have been racially motivated, as the victims were speaking Arabic and were harassed before being shot.
The FBI, along with local and state agencies, is actively investigating the incident. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the situation.
Additionally, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the perpetrators.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding posted a statement on X that the institute said was from the victims’ families.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”
