(NewsNation) — Police are investigating the shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday night as a possible hate crime.
Police say the victims were visiting one of their homes for Thanksgiving break. As they were leaving the relative’s home, a white man with a handgun approached them and opened fire without speaking, then fled the scene.
Authorities are still searching for the suspect.
The victims are all 20-year-old males, two of whom are stable while the third sustained more serious injuries, according to a statement by the Burlington Police Department.
At the time of the attack, two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs, a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance, and speaking in Arabic.
The victims were identified as Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University, Kinnan Abdalhamid, a student at Haverford College, and Tahseen Ahmed, a student at Trinity College, according to NewsNation affiliate WFFF. The three students are graduates of the Ramallah Friends School, a private Quaker school in the West Bank.
Burlington police have not yet labeled the shooting a hate crime, but are looking into the possibility as they investigate, saying, “In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime.”
Before the Burlington police chief released his statement, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee released a statement Sunday saying there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab,” according to WFFF.
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“If, in the course of the local investigation, information comes to light of a potential federal violation, the FBI is prepared to investigate,” FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane said in a statement.
The White House confirmed President Joe Biden has also been briefed on the shooting.
Family members of the victims released a joint statement, saying they are “devastated by the horrific news that our children were targeted and shot,” adding, “No family should ever have to endure this pain and agony.”
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders offered his condolences to the families of the victims, calling the attack shocking and deeply upsetting.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of a suspect.