The gunman was identified by police as a white man who shot the three without warning on a city street. The crime occurred on Saturday around 6:30 p.m. local time.
Two were rescued in a “more stable” situation, while one of them was in a more serious situation, police said.. Two were hit in the chest and one in the groin.
The victims were identified by the Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker training center for Palestinians.. Those shot were Hisham Awartani, a Brown University student; Kinnan Abdalhamid from Haverford College and Tahseen Ahmed from Trinity College, all in the USA.
In a statement, the family of the three university students described the case as a “hate crime”, but police are still investigating the motive. The relatives’ letter was published by the Institute for Middle East Understanding.
We are grateful to the doctors and nurses who are working tirelessly to save the lives of our children and to the city authorities who are devoting their full attention to this horrific hate crime in the pursuit of justice. We appreciate the deep care of our community.
Excerpt from the letter from the family of the shot Palestinian
A Palestinian diplomat in the United Kingdom said the students were shot because they were wearing a “Palestinian keffiyeh.” a typical scarf. “Six weeks ago, a sixyearold Palestinian child was stabbed 26 times in a hate crime in Illinois. Hate crimes against Palestinians must stop,” wrote Husam Zomlot, recalling the case that also took place in the United States in October.