Three 20-year-old Palestinian men were shot Saturday night in Burlington, Vermont, in what is believed to be a hate crime. Burlington police said the three men were in town to celebrate Thanksgiving with one of the man’s relatives. A white man approached them on the street and fired four rounds, then fled on foot. Via HuffPost:
Police are unsure of the suspect’s motive. All three men were transported to a local hospital, where two went to the ICU. One of the three men is reportedly in the stable condition now, according to NBC News.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday morning and said they have “reason to believe that the shooting was motivated by the three victims being Arab” because they were “wearing a Kuffiyeh and speaking Arabic.” Police said the victims did not want their names to be shared.
“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,” Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a news release. “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.”
