A man pleaded not guilty to attempted murder Monday in connection with the weekend shooting of three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont — an attack that is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arrested Sunday, a day after the shooting outside his apartment building near the University of Vermont campus. He appeared in court by video from jail, speaking only to confirm his identity. His attorney entered pleas of not guilty on his behalf, and a judge ordered him held without bail pending a hearing that likely will be held in the next few days.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department is investigating whether the shooting was a hate crime. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting Vermont authorities in the investigation.
There has been a sharp increase in threats directed against Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities across the U.S. since the Israel-Hamas war began, he said. “There is understandable fear in communities across the country,” Garland said.
The three men, all age 20, who were spending their Thanksgiving break in Burlington, were walking during a visit to the home of one of the victims' relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a handgun, police said.
“Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said. “All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities.”
Two of the men were in stable condition and the other suffered “much more serious injuries,” Murad said in a statement Sunday.
Two of the victims are U.S. citizens and the third is in the country with legal permission. Two of the men were wearing the black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, Murad said.
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