3 students of Palestinian descent were shot in Burlington: What people are saying

Burlington residents were rocked by news that a gunman had opened fire Saturday on three students of Palestinian descent on North Prospect Street, not far from the University of Vermont.

Jason Eaton pleaded not guilty Monday morning to three counts of second degree attempted murder.

Eaton, 48, of Burlington, is charged in connection with the shooting that sent the three men to the hospital with gunshot wounds. The men were visiting Burlington for the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

As of mid-day on Monday, all three 20-year-olds were in the ICU of UVM Medical Center.

Hisham Awartani, a student a Brown Univeristy, was struck in the spine; Tahseen Ahmad, a student at Trinity College in Connecticut, was struck in the chest; and Kinnan Abdalhamid, a student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, in shot the glute. While the latter two young men were expected to make a full recovery, Awartani's uncle, Rich Price, said his nephew suffered a spinal injury and had a long recovery ahead of him.

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On Monday, several residents gave their thoughts on the shooting.

'Immediate reaction of fear'

Caroline Cunio, a psychological science mayor at UVM, had just returned from Thanksgiving break when she received an emergency notification from the university warning students a shooting had occurred down the street from her house.

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"It was an immediate reaction of fear," said Cunio, who was home alone at the time. "I was horrified. It's horrible (what happened to the victims)."

Several people said that while they were appalled, they had sensed tension brewing in Burlington and throughout the U.S since the most recent conflict in Gaza began.

Danie Palermo, a lawyer who lives several houses from where the students were shot, specifically criticized UVM's decision to cancel a lecture featuring a Palestinian poet a few weeks ago, which she implied showed favoritism toward Israel in the Gaza conflict and delegitimatized the Palestinian plight. She also decried the national and international media for its "pro-Israel leaning."

"It's sad to see it (the violence and hatred) is trickling down to a place far from where the conflict is occurring," Palermo said. "This is not what Burlington is known for ... but now something like this is not out of the realm of possibilities anymore."

What disturbed her the most about the attack was the randomness of it.

"These were just kids visiting their friends," Palermo said. "That's what makes it so shocking. They were just trying to enjoy their holiday."

Thankful shooting victims have survived

"I think Palestinians are probably the last acceptable completely marginalized people in the world," said Tasi Perkins, who holds a doctorate in Islamic Studies and lives on Loomis Street.

Perkins said the U.S has "gotten caught up in the sensationalism" of the Israel-Hamas War.

"When you combine a lot of emotion with access to weapons, pre-existing prejudices and what's fed by the media, it can lead to violence," he said.

The solution to the tension building in Burlington, Perkins argued, is continued dialogue.

"I'm thankful it seems the victims have survived," he said. "I hope what happened starts a measured conversation in Burlington."

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.