By Jerald Jimenez
Nov 28, 2023, 2:29 PM EST
One of the three Palestinians injured after being shot in Vermont will not be able to walk anymore, as confirmed by his mother because he has a bullet lodged in his spine, which prevents him from moving his legs.
According to a testimony collected by CNN, Elizabeth Prince, mother of the victim Hisham Awartani, 20, said that doctors stated that it is very likely that her son will not regain mobility after the shot, but despite the bleak outlook, her family He still hopes that it will improve.
“He is a very strong young man and he has been trying to cheer us all up with his jokes and his calmness,” said Price, who is doing his best to travel to the United States to see his son. “We are determined to work with him, support him and get him the best care possible.”
Price also said that King Abdullah II of Jordan has contacted her to offer his support and send a specialist to evaluate her son’s health, the aforementioned media noted.
The events occurred on Saturday night, when three young Palestinians studying in the United States were victims of a brutal shooting attack in the city of Burlington.
The events occurred on Saturday night in the city of Burlington, when the three students, who had traveled from the Israeli-occupied West Bank to pursue their university studies, were walking down the street speaking in Arabic and English, and two of them were wearing the Traditional Palestinian scarf called keffiyeh. Moments later, a man who lived in a nearby building shot them without saying a word.
The other two students shot are Yara Al-Samman, 21, and Omar Al-Ajlouni, 22. Both managed to survive, are in stable condition and are recovering from their injuries.
The alleged shooter was identified as Jason J. Eaton, 48, who was arrested Sunday and charged with three counts of attempted murder, to which he pleaded not guilty. According to police, he had no prior relationship with the victims.
Police and prosecutors have not yet determined a motive for the attack, but have said they are investigating whether it was a hate crime, motivated by anti-Muslim or anti-Arab prejudice.
The attack occurs amid an increase in incidents of this type in the United States since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7.
The victims’ families and several civil rights groups have called on authorities to treat the case as a hate crime, as they believe the attack was an act of racist and xenophobic violence against Palestinian students.
With information from CNN