The uncle of Hisham Awartani, a Palestinian student, spoke out against the “civic vitriol … [and] sickness of gun violence that exists in this country” after a gunman shot Awartani and two other students in Burlington, Vermont, late Saturday.
Police continue to investigate the shooting of three young men of Palestinian descent near the University of Vermont campus on Saturday evening as a possible hate crime.
Jason J. Eaton, 48, was arrested on Sunday and pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the second degree at his arraignment Monday. He was held without bail pending an upcoming bail hearing.
Relatives identified the victims and their colleges gave updates on their medical status — all three are being treated in intensive care at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.
- Hisham Awartani is a junior at Brown University who, according to Brown's president, Christina H. Paxson, is being treated at a hospital and is expected to survive. But his uncle says he faces a "long recovery."
- Kinnan Abdalhamid is a junior at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. Administrators said he was recovering from a gunshot wound in the hospital.
- Tahseen Ahmed is a junior at Connecticut's Trinity College, which said he was in a stable condition in a hospital.
The three men, all age 20, 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.
Two of the three victims were wearing keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism made famous by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, when a man with a handgun walked up and, without speaking, opened fire, according to police. The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee said the victims — two of of whom are U.S. citizens and the third a legal resident, according to police — were speaking in Arabic.
The shooting victims were shot in the spin, chest and glute, according to court documents.
Awartani was shot in the spine, Ahmed was shot in the chest and Abdalhamid was shot in the glute, per the affidavit of probable cause.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding released a statement on social media Sunday on behalf of the victims' families.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”
The three men were staying at Awartani’s grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving. Awartani's mother told NBC News his family still can't grasp how he was shot just around the corner from "granny’s house" and on "a street he’s basically grown up on."
His father didn't want the Brown University junior coming home to the Middle East for the Christmas holidays, believing it was prudent for him to stay with his wife's family in Burlington instead.
"The short-term shock is now evolving into something more complex as he tries to frame who he is in the world and what it means to be safe in America, particularly when you get shot down the street from your granny’s house in a street he’s basically grown up on," Awartani’s mother, Elizabeth Price, told NBC News from Ramallah, a town in the West Bank.
"He’s been going there since he was 8 or maybe 10," she said. "So for him to have that taken away from him, I don’t know what that means for any of the boys and their ability to function normally.”
Awartani's uncle, Rich Price, spoke at a news briefing on the shooting held Monday in Burlington.
"We speak only on behalf of the family because the family can't be here," he said. "I want to say that these three young men are incredible, and that's not just proud uncle speaking, but it's true. They are, they have their lives in front of them, they are committed to building incredible lives. They each go to great schools."
"We had just been to my 8-year-old twins' birthday party. These three college students, who if you’re in college, who wants to go a 8-year-old birthday party? But these three guys did, and they came, they played with my boys. We had just come home and they were walking around the block and this is when this happened."
Price said he has been with the students "almost constantly" since they were shot Saturday night.
"I've been listening to them talk to one another and try to process the events. And I'm blown away by their resilience, by their good humor in the face of these difficult times," he said.
Radi Tamimi, a relative of Abdalhamid, also spoke at Monday's press conference, having just flown in from California.
"We consider ourselves very lucky at this point, as far as Kinnan's family is concerned," he said.
He said Abdalhamid's family is praying for the other victims.
"We're still in shock over this. Kinnan grew up in the West Bank and we always thought that that could be more of a risk in terms of his safety and sending him here would be, you know, the right decision," Tamimi said. "We feel somehow betrayed in that decision here and, you know, we're just trying to come to terms with everything.
The colleges attended by the victims also issued statements following the shooting.
Brown University President Christina Paxson said in a letter to the community that Awartani is expected to survive his injuries.
"I have been in touch with Hisham’s family, and members of Brown’s support staff have remained in close contact and are offering all the care that we can, including University personnel onsite in Burlington, Vermont," she said. "There are not enough words to express the deep anguish I feel for Hisham, his parents and family members, and his friends. I know that this heinous and despicable act of violence — this latest evidence of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination and hate spiraling across this country and around the world — will leave many in our community deeply shaken. We know it will heighten concerns about personal safety and security for Palestinian and Arab members of our community."
She called on the school community to come togethe rto condemn anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian discrimination and acts of violence and hate, and said that a campus vigil would be held at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.
A Trinity College spokesperson said at a press conference Monday that Ahmed "seems to be in good spirits."
Trinity College students, faculty and staff have been present with Ahmed in Vermont as he recovers from his injuries. The school said they have also been in contact with Ahmed's family, who live in the West Bank, to provide support.
Haverford College posted a message on social media Sunday confirming that Abdalhamid was one of the three victims of the shooting.
"We are in contact with Kinnan's family, who live overseas. Dean McKnight will be traveling to Burlington today," the school said. "Kinnan and his friends are all Palestinian students studying at U.S. colleges and universities. Police are investigating the shootings, and we await word on whether it will be pursued as a hate crime. In the meantime, know that Haverford College condemns all acts of hatred. We continue to work toward peace within our community and everywhere."
Ramallah Friends School also posted a statement on Facebook saying the three young men were graduates of the private school, in the West Bank.
“While we are relieved to know that they are alive, we remain uncertain about their condition and hold them in the light,” the school said. “We stand united in hope and support for their well-being during this challenging time.”
NBC News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
