Trinity College student shot in Vermont ‘seems to be in good spirits', school says

The Trinity College student who was injured in a shooting in Vermont over the weekend "seems to be in good spirits," according to the school.

On Saturday, three U.S. college students of Palestinian descent were shot in Burlington, Vermont.

The three 20-year-old students were walking during a visit to one of the victim's relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a gun, police said.

Tahseen Ali Ahmad is one of the men who was shot. He is a junior at Trinity College. On Monday, a spokesperson for the school said Ali Ahmad "seems to be in good spirits."

Trinity College students, faculty and staff have been present with Ali Ahmad in Vermont as he recovers from his injuries.

“We have this incredible power to come together as a community and I’m really happy to be seeing that,” Trinity junior Mel Keith said.

The school says they have also been in contact with Ali Ahmad's family, who lives in the West Bank, to provide support.

“We’ve been dealing with challenges ever since the attacks of Oct. 7 in Israel, so our student-life staff have been meeting with students on a regular basis to ensure they’re safe here, that they’re feeling safe here, and that we’re providing them with the supports that they need,” Jason Rojas, Trinity College associate vice president for external affairs, said.

“We don’t really think about being not secure like all the time, thank god, but it is there somewhere,” Trinity faculty Hanae Bouazza said.

The two other men who were shot have been identified by their families as Hisham Awartani and Kinnan Abdalhamid. Awartani is a student at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; and Abdalhamid is a student at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

The man suspected of shooting the three students has since been arrested. He has been identified as 48-year-old Jason J. Eaton. Eaton appeared in court Monday and pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder in the second degree.

“We’re deeply disturbed that these three young college kids who were doing things that every American was doing this weekend, going to a dinner with their family, were targeted and attacked in this way,” Farhan Memon, chair of Connecticut’s chapter for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said.

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson released a statement.

“Our hearts go out to the three Palestinian students who were shot this weekend in Vermont: Trinity College student Tahseen Ali Ahmad, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Hisham Awartani,” Larson said.

“The entire Hartford community stands with them, and we pray for their swift recovery. I am pleased to learn that a suspect has been apprehended and lend my complete support to efforts by law enforcement to investigate this senseless shooting as a hate crime. There is an urgent need to address the rise of Islamophobic hate across the nation. I support the Justice Department’s commitment to work with religious and community leaders to counter hate and will continue to press my colleagues in Congress to take action to root out racist extremism and end gun violence,” Larson added.

Trinity College says while they have not implemented additional security measures, it is important to remain vigilant.