A Palestinian American was paralyzed after the shooting incident in Vermont News

The family of one of the three university students of Palestinian origin who was shot in the US state of Vermont late last month said that he was paralyzed from the chest to the feet. Because a bullet lodged in his spine.

Hisham Awartani (20 years old), who studies at Brown University and grew up in… Occupied West BankHe was walking with two friends near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington on November 25, when Jason Eaton, 48, shot them with his gun in a suspected hate crime, according to police reports.

His two companions, Tahseen Ali Ahmed, a student in… Harvard university in Pennsylvania, and Kenan Abdel Hamid, a student at Trinity University in Connecticut.

But Hisham Awartani, who was visiting his grandmother over the Thanksgiving holiday with his friends, all 20 years old, received a more serious diagnosis, according to a statement his family wrote to raise funds to cover the costs of his medical expenses.

The Awartani family posted on its page on the “Go Fund Me” platform, through which it received more than $200,000 as of Sunday morning, “He has shown clear improvement, stability, and remarkable courage, along with a sense of humor, even with the truth of his paralysis revealed.”

The family indicated in their statement that Hisham, who holds American citizenship and is of Palestinian and Irish origins, aspires to start the next semester at college on time, despite his paralysis.

Crime investigation

The incident occurred at the time you testify United State An increase in threats and reports of incidents related to Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and anti-Arabism, since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7.

Eaton is charged with attempted murder and is being held without bail while authorities investigate whether the shooting in Vermont was a hate crime.

The indictment submitted to the court stated that the students were wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh and speaking a mixture of English and Arabic when they were shot.