Haverford College student one of three Palestinians shot near University of Vermont campus, officials say

Kinnan Abdalhamid, a junior at Haverford College, was one of three Palestinian students shot near the University of Vermont on Saturday evening, authorities said.

The three students were taken to the nearby University of Vermont Medical Center for treatment, according to Seven Days Vermont, a local news site. No arrests were reported.

Burlington, Vt., police issued a statement Sunday afternoon saying that all remain under medical care, two in stable condition and the third having sustained “much more serious injuries.”

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said the shooting was being investigated as a possible hate crime.

“That there is an indication this shooting could have been motivated by hate is chilling, and this possibility is being prioritized in the BPD’s investigation,” Weinberger said in a statement.

Police said the three were walking down a street when they were confronted by a man on foot with a handgun. “Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled on foot,” the statement said.

Police said they had not determined a motive but noted the three students were of Palestinian descent, two U.S. citizens and one a legal resident, and that two “were wearing keffiyehs at the time of the assault.”

“At this time, there is no additional information to suggest the suspect’s motive, such as statements or remarks by the suspect,” the statement said. Others, though, including the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee and the parents of the three victims, urged the police to treat the shooting as a hate crime.

Abdalhamid said Sunday night via instagram message that he was not yet ready to make any public statement.

Haverford president Wendy Raymond and dean John McKnight described the injuries as “non life-threatening.” A post on Facebook said Abdalhamid had minor injuries, while the two others were described as having more serious gunshot wounds.

Abdalhamid, 20, a biology major and member of the track team, was with two lifelong friends, Hisham Awartani and Tahseen Ahmed, all graduates of the Ramallah Friends School, which posted about the shooting on Facebook.

“While we are relieved to know that they are alive, we remain uncertain about their condition and hold them in the light,” the school posted. The post described Awartani, a student at Brown University, as having been shot in the back; Ahmed, a student at Trinity College, in the chest; and Abdalhamid “with minor injuries.”

“We extend our thoughts and prayers to them and their families for a full recovery,” the post said.

A friend and fellow student of Abdalhamid’s said he was at a friend’s house in Vermont for Thanksgiving, and that the family says he is recovering.

“He is a really bright kid,” said the friend, who did not wish to be named. “The kind of kid who gets the homework done for the whole semester on the first week of class.”

The friend said Abdalhamid has been “very active on the pro-Palestinian advocacy on Haverford’s campus.” He spoke publicly at a plenary, a school-wide meeting, about demands for Students for Justice in Palestine.

The student said that since Oct. 7, students “have been under a lot of strain and tension, particularly with professors not giving extensions or being accommodating to their request for homework extensions.”

“A lot of students don’t want their name to be published on any quotes about any student activism, but unlike those people, he has had the courage to be very vocal and visible on campus,” the friend said, adding that he has been “kind of at the forefront of Palestine activism at Haverford, especially in talks with administration and rallying and assembling students on campus.”

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The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee posted on X that each of the three victims was wearing a keffiyeh and speaking Arabic, and that the organization has reason to believe the shooting was motivated by the victims “being Arab.”

Husam Zomlot, the ambassador and head of Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom, posted on X that the three students were on their way to a family dinner in Burlington, Vt.

“Their crime?” he posted. “Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh.”

In a statement issued by the parents of the students through the Institute for Middle East Understanding and posted on social media accounts, the parents asked for privacy and called on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, “including treating this as a hate crime.”

“As parents, we are devastated by the horrific news that our children were targeted and shot in Burlington, VT,” the statement said. “We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice. We need to ensure that our children are protected, and this heinous crime is not repeated.”

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott called the shooting “a tragedy,” and said he offered the state’s full support to the mayor and police chief, “and in support of the Palestinian and broader Burlington community.”

Abdalhamid was quoted in an October story in the student-run Haverford Clerk expressing disappointment in statements from Raymond about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which erupted into war after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, and Israel retaliated, leading to the deaths of more than 13,000 Palestinians inside Gaza.

He was described as a 20-year-old Illinois-born Palestinian “who lived under Israeli military occupation from when he was three until he began at Haverford.”

“She did not mourn the Palestinian citizens who were killed, or the children who were killed by this ruthless bombing,” Abdalhamid was quoted in the article as saying of Raymond.

“I don’t expect much from Western media or the college to mention much about Israel’s oppression and apartheid,” said Abdalhamid. “But I at least expect the thousands who were killed to be mentioned and mourned.”

The story went on to say that, “Abdalhamid said he found President Raymond’s references to anti-Semitism as a cause of Palestinian rage to be repugnant, saying Palestinians and Jews had shared Palestine for centuries.”

Another student publication, the Bico News, said it would not be publishing information on Abdalhamid “per request of the family.”

Haverford said McKnight would be traveling to Burlington on Sunday.

“Kinnan and his friends are all Palestinian students studying at U.S. colleges and universities,” the statement from the president and dean of Haverford said. “Police are investigating the shootings, and we await word on whether it will be pursued as a hate crime.

“In the meantime, know that Haverford College condemns all acts of hatred. We continue to work toward peace within our community and everywhere. Please join us in holding Kinnan, his friends, their families, and their communities in the light at this awful moment, as we come together in community in support of one another.”