Jason Eaton, a Vermont resident of Palestinian descent, shot three young men in Burlington Vermont on the evening of November 25th. All three men survived their injuries. The victim’s attorneys and one of the victim’s mothers claimed that these shootings should be investigated as a hate crime.
Eaton was charged with three counts of attempted murder. Eaton suffered from depression, and he had been known to hold conspiratorial beliefs. So far, however, there has not been any evidence that indicates malice towards Arabs or Muslims. Burlington Police Department has said that it is not aware of any “statements” or “remarks” made by the suspect that could indicate a motive for the shootings.
Eaton is yet to give his side of the tale and the Palestinians are not forthcoming with details about the incident. Eaton’s accounts on social media don’t show any anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian hatred.
Rich Price’s nephew Hisham Awartani, who was one of those victims, believes it was a hate crime.
Price added, “We understand there is a legal threshold for a hate crime to be considered a crime.” But in our opinion, it is clear that this was motivated by hatred. “We believe that they were targeted based on their appearance, what they wore, and the language they spoke.”
They were wearing traditional Palestinian neck scarves and speaking Arabic. According to USA Today they claim Eaton “silently” approached and opened fire.
Authorities try to create hate crimes where none may exist.
Sarah George, Chittenden County’s State Attorney, said at a Monday press conference that “there is no doubt that this was an act of hatred” even though we have not yet gathered enough evidence to justify a hate crime enhancement.
It is not surprising that the left has already hailed these young men as victims. The narrative has been set. No matter if they charge Eaton, it won’t make a difference. The left has already tried him and convicted him, and anything less will be seen by many as a “coverup.”
Eaton was surrendered by an ATF agent when he knocked at his apartment door to find out more about the shooting. He was cooperative with the agent but refused to reveal his identity to the police.
Unprompted, Eaton stepped out of the apartment and into the hallway where Brown asked whether there were any guns in the apartment. Eaton replied that there was a gun. Eaton said he needed a lawyer when Brown asked if other guns were present. According to the affidavit at this point, Brown “detained”, Eaton and asked for his name. Eaton refused to identify himself and requested a lawyer. Two keys were found in Eaton’s pocket when he was searched for weapons.
Brown, another ATF agent, and an FBI agent searched Eaton’s apartment after Burlington Police arrived to bring Eaton to the department. They found no other person there. The agents found a Hornaday-branded 38-caliber Ruger and ammunition with “bright red tips on each projectile.” The gun was found in Eaton’s bedroom in the top drawer.
Will the whole story even matter? Eventually, it will come out and we’ll learn why Eaton pulled the trigger. Until then, we should all relax and wait for the investigation to run its course.
