3 Palestinian college students shot, wounded in Vermont in suspected hate crime

Three young Palestinian men who were in Burlington yesterday for a Thanksgiving holiday gathering were shot and injured — one seriously — near the University of Vermont, in what may have been a hate crime, authorities say.

The shooter has been identified only as a white man with a handgun who “without speaking… discharged at least four rounds” at the victims before fleeing the scene, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad says in a statement.

Murad says all three victims are of Palestinian descent. Two are US citizens and one is a legal resident. Two of the men were wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves.

“The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now. But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less,” Murad says.

The White House says US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the incident and Bernie Sanders — one of Vermont’s two US senators — condemned the “shocking and deeply upsetting” attack, saying he looks “looks forward to a full investigation.”

AP contributed to this report.