Arrest Made in Vermont Shooting of 3 Palestinian College Students, Police Confirm

[Breaking news update, published at 1:05 a.m. ET]

A suspect has been arrested in the shooting of the three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont, police say.

Jason J. Eaton, aged 48, was apprehended by law enforcement and identified as the suspect in the assault on Sunday. The Burlington Police Department announced his arrest in a news release. The individual was found to reside in an apartment building close to the location of the incident and was taken into custody at approximately 3:30 p.m. on the day of the attack.

Eaton is expected to be arraigned in court on Monday. Police are also planning to hold a news conference Monday to discuss the case.

[Original story, published at 12:27 a.m. ET]

Authorities in Burlington, Vermont are working to identify the suspect in the shooting of three 20-year-old Palestinian college students over the weekend. They are also investigating whether the attack was a hate crime. The students were walking on the street on Saturday night when a man with a handgun confronted them, opened fire, and fled without speaking.

Two students were in stable condition over the weekend while the third sustained "much more serious injuries," according to police. It was noted that two students were shot in the torso, and the third was shot in the lower extremities.

Austin Steele/CNN

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Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown University in Rhode Island; Kinnan Abdalhamid, a student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania; and Tahseen Ahmad, a student at Trinity College in Connecticut, were the students who were shot, according to the Institute for Middle East Understanding. The victims' families, along with several civil rights groups, are urging investigators to thoroughly investigate the shooting as a possible hate crime, given the reported increase in anti-Muslim and anti-Arab bias incidents in the US since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began last month.

Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad stated in a news release that given the current circumstances, it is likely that this incident was motivated by hate. Attorney Abed Ayoub, representing the victims' families, believes that the students were targeted, in part, because two of them were wearing traditional Palestinian scarves, known as keffiyehs.

Ayoub reported on "CNN Newsroom" Sunday that the suspect approached and shot the victims without any intention of robbing or mugging them. He emphasized that it was a deliberate and targeted act of violence. As of Sunday, the police have not identified or apprehended the suspect. They stated that there is currently no further information about the motive behind the crime, such as any statements or remarks made by the suspect.

Heres what we know so far.

How the shooting unfolded

Three students were visiting Hisham Awartani's grandmother in Burlington for the Thanksgiving holiday. They were on a walk before dinner when they were shot, according to Marwan Awartani, a former Palestinian education minister, who is speaking for the victims' families. Police stated that the suspect, a White man, confronted the trio while they were walking on Prospect Street.

Police released a statement indicating that the suspect fired at least four shots from the pistol without saying a word and then fled on foot. At around 6:30 p.m. ET, officers arrived at the scene of the shooting following reports and found two of the victims injured. The third victim was located a short distance away.

All three men were taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where they were still being treated Sunday, according to police.

Students (from left) Tahseen Ahmad, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Hisham Awartani, took this photo shortly before they were shot, a family representative said.

Institute for Middle East Understanding

Mayor: Possibility of a hate crime is being prioritized by investigators

The attack's circumstances have led investigators to consider whether it might have been driven by hate, as they work to locate the suspect and establish his motive, stated Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger.

Mayor Weinberger expressed concern that the shooting may have been fueled by hate, which is alarming. The investigation is now focusing on this possibility. Furthermore, the FBI is collaborating with local law enforcement and is offering assistance such as computer and cell phone analysis, victim support services, and other forensic tools, stated the agency's field office in Albany, New York.

Authorities recovered ballistic evidence from the scene and will analyze it in a federal database, according to the police. Investigators are also making efforts to interview witnesses and survey the neighborhood again.

Police chief Murad has already reached out to federal investigators and prosecutors to prepare for the possibility of a hate crime, if evidence is found.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNNs Dianne Gallagher, Joe Sutton, Zenebou Sylla, Eva McKend, Khalil Abdallah, Zoe Sottile and Michelle Watson contributed to this report.