Suspect in attempted murder of three Palestinian Americans: ‘I’ve been waiting for you’
The suspect in the shooting of three Palestinian Americans near the UVM campus told federal agents before he was arrested Sunday, “I’ve been waiting for you,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said Monday.
At a noon press conference, Murad detailed the investigation that led to the arrest of Jason J. Eaton, 48, less than 24 hours after he allegedly stepped off the porch of an apartment building on North Prospect Street and opened fire at the three men, who were spending their Thanksgiving break in Burlington.
Murad said officers did not encounter Eaton as they canvassed the apartment building and the surrounding area immediately after Saturday’s shooting.
On Sunday, when agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives returned at around 6:35 p.m., Eaton answered the door of his apartment with his hands up, Murad said. He did not identify himself, the chief said, but allegedly told the agents that he had been waiting for them.
When one of the agents asked him why, Eaton allegedly said he wanted a lawyer.
After obtaining a search warrant for the apartment, agents allegedly found a .380mm semi-automatic and red-tipped ammunition. Murad said that both have since been connected to the shooting.
Murad said Eaton, who he described as relatively new to the Burlington area, had recently purchased the gun.
Earlier Monday, Eaton pleaded not guilty to three attempted murder charges in connection with the shooting, which is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
Murad thanked the ATF and the FBI for their assistance in the investigation, but said there was more work to do, including determining the motive behind the attack.
“We still don’t know as much as we want to know,” he said. “But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”
The Institute for Middle East Understanding has identified the men as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad.
The three men had been staying at Awartani’s grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving, Awartani told police. They had gone bowling earlier Saturday and were returning when the attack occurred.
A second victim told police he saw a man staring at them from the porch of a white house. Abdalhamid told police that the man stumbled down the stairs and pulled out a pistol.
At Monday’s press conference, Rich Price, Awartani’s uncle, said the gunman “shot them without saying any words.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
