By Alan J. Keays/VTDigger
Burlington Police say they have arrested a suspect in the shooting Saturday night that wounded three young Palestinian American men.
The three men, all 20 years old, were in Burlington visiting relatives of one of the men over the Thanksgiving holiday when the shooting took place around 6:30 p.m. Saturday on North Prospect Street.
Jason Eaton, 48, was “encountered and detained” by federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents who were conducting a canvass around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the location of the shooting, according to a press release issued by the Burlington Police Department early Monday morning.
Detectives worked with local and federal prosecutors to obtain a warrant and to search Eaton’s residence around 10 p.m. Sunday in an apartment building in front of where the shooting occurred, police said in the press release.
Evidence collected during the search gave investigators and prosecutors “probable cause to believe that Mr. Eaton perpetrated the shooting,” according to the release.
Eaton was arrested and was set to be arraigned Monday, Nov. 27, the release stated.
Police said Sunday afternoon that two of the men who were shot were in stable condition and one sustained serious injuries. Police said that two of the men were wearing keffiyehs, a traditional scarf that has become a symbol of Palestinian identity, at the time of the shootings.
Authorities said Sunday that they were investigating whether the shootings were a hate crime, but the release issued early Monday morning did not provide information about the specific charges Eaton will face or provide a motive for the shooting.
