Police in Vermont are investigating a triple shooting Saturday night in Burlington that sent three young men of Palestinian descent to the hospital.
Burlington Police said the three men, all 20 years old, were visiting a relative for the Thankgsgiving holiday, the Burlington Free Press reported. They were walking on North Prospect Street when they were confronted by a man with a handgun. The man didn’t speak and fired at least four rounds before fleeing the area.
Police said two of the victims are US citizens and the third is a legal resident. Two of them are in stable condition at the University of Vermont Medical Center, while the third was “much more” seriously injured.
Police said two of the men were wearing traditional Keffiyehs, a scarf worn in many Middle Eastern cultures. All three were college students.
“My deepest condolences go out to the victims and their families,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement. “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.”
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said the violence was “unacceptable.”
“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,” Weinberger said in a statement. “The City of Burlington has zero tolerance for hate crimes and will work relentlessly to bring the shooter to justice.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
“Due to the unprecedented spike in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian hate and violence we have witnessed in recent weeks, local, state and national law enforcement authorities must investigate a possible bias motive for the shooting of these three young men,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. “We hope our reward will result in information leading to an arrest in this case.”
Burlington police ask anyone with information to contact the department at 802-658-2704.
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