Police in Vermont said three Palestinian college students were shot Saturday night in Burlington.
Authorities said the three male students, all 20 years old, were found suffering from gunshot wounds just before 6:30 p.m. on North Prospect Street.
All three students are being treated at a nearby hospital. Police said Sunday that two of the victims are in stable condition, while a third is suffering from “much more serious injuries.”
Police said the young men were “confronted by a white male with a handgun” who fired four rounds at least at them “without speaking.”
Authorities believe the male suspect fled on foot. No more information has been provided about the suspect.
Police said two of the victims are American citizens, and the third is a legal U.S. resident.
Two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs, or head scarves typically worn by men in Arab countries, at the time of the shooting.
“In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement on the night of the shooting.
The chief said federal authorities may get involved.
“I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven. But now that the victims are safe and receiving medical care, our next priority is identifying, locating, and apprehending the suspect.”
Ramallah Friends School, a private school with two campuses in the West Bank, said in a statement that the students were alumni of theirs and identified victims as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed.
The school said Mr. Awartani was shot in the back, Mr. Ahmed was shot in the chest and Mr. Hamid suffered minor injuries during the incident.
Ramallah Friends School said Mr. Awartani goes to Brown University, Mr. Ahmed attends Trinity College and Mr. Hamid studies at Haverford College.
“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 in a statement. “We extend our thoughts and prayers to them and their families for a full recovery, especially considering the severity of injuries.”
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who has information that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the shooter.