Palestinian Students Shot in Vermont, Hate Crime Investigation Underway

One of the victims used his phone's emergency SOS button, potentially saving their lives, as the suspected gunman is held without bail.

Three Palestinian college students were shot in Burlington, Vermont while out for a walk. The victims, Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, were visiting family for the holiday break.
The victims believe they were targeted because they were speaking Arabic. Two of them were also wearing traditional Palestinian scarves, known as keffiyehs, at the time of the shooting.
Hisham Awartani, who was shot in the spine, managed to use his phone's emergency SOS button despite his injuries, likely saving their lives.
The suspected gunman, Jason J. Eaton, was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder. Authorities are investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime.
The shooting has sparked outrage amid ongoing tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war and a surge in Islamophobia in the U.S.