Burlington police say suspect still at large after shooting three men of Palestinian descent
Burlington police say suspect still at large after shooting three men of Palestinian descent
The victims' families and civil rights organizations are calling on Vermont law enforcement to investigate the shooting as a hate crime.
"The three were walking on Prospect Street when they were confronted by a white male with a handgun," Murad [BPD chief] wrote. "Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled on foot. All three victims were struck, two in their torsos and one in the lower extremities."
Murad noted in the press release that all three victims are 20-year-old men of Palestinian descent.
"Two are US citizens and one is a legal resident. Two were wearing keffiyehs at the time of the assault," Murad wrote, in reference to the traditional Palestinian scarf.
I hope the victims can recover enough to give a good report to police so they can catch this piece of trash.
Maybe I'll have to get a kuffiyeh. I usually don't like appropriating other cultures, but maybe raising awareness is fine.
6Remember, this is the US. People shoot people every day for no reason unless they're cops and then it's just for entertainment.
But seriously, we are still waiting for details. We might not want to jump to conclusions.
3Yup. I hope the victims can provide more info. The article mentions two have stabilized, so hopefully they can provide good information to finish the investigation quickly.
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Maybe I’ll have to get a kuffiyeh. I usually don’t like appropriating other cultures, but maybe raising awareness is fine.
What a great idea! Imagine if wearing them caught on & became fashionable both for their looks and as a political statement! The fascist crowd here (USA) would go ape-shit. They'd be talking about banning them in public in no time flat.
Another article. Yeah, I could see keffiyehs gaining a following (see linked pic) - winters in VT are fargin' cold.
3Yup, I'm in a cold climate as well, though not as common as in VT. So I could legitimately wear one for warmth, but it's not really my thing.
But idiots shooting citizens and residents (or anyone for that matter) due to ethnic or religious heritage is unacceptable, so if we normalize wearing them, maybe people wearing them won't get targeted as much.
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I am Palestinian and I have never met another Palestinian who has been offended by someone wearing a keffiyeh if it's done out of support for us. Please go ahead. Buy a real one from Palestine if you can.
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Update: they've caught someone who seems to be the perp.
Court records show Awartani was hit in the spine
Ugh, that sound like potentially one of those "never walk again" sorts of injuries. Then again, it's not safe to walk, at least not outside, and while not looking like a member of the ethnic/cultural majority...
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