Hisham Awartani, one of the three Palestinian students who were shot on November 25 night in Burlington, Vermont, is paralyzed from the chest down.
20-year-old Hisham of Brown University, along with his two friends— Kinnan Abdel Hamid of Haverford University and Tahseen Ahmed of Trinity University, were shot on their way to a family dinner in a suspected hate crime.
At the time of the attack, they were speaking Arabic and two of them were wearing the keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf,
As per a report by Reuters, a 48-year-old Jason Eaton, was arrested in connection to a shooting and has pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree attempted murder.
All three men survived the attack, but Hisham may never walk again, as he was shot in the back, Ahmed in the chest, and Hamid in minor injuries.
Hisham’s family has launched a fundraising campaign on the ‘Go Fund Me‘ website on Saturday, December 2, cover medical expenses associated with his recovery, including a lifetime of home care that likely won’t be covered by insurance.
“We are thankful that all three will survive this attack, and Hisham’s friends are expected to make a full recovery. For Hisham, however, one of the bullets that struck him is lodged in his spine and has left him paralyzed from the chest down,” his family said in a statement.
They continued,, “Hisham has demonstrated remarkable courage, resilience and fortitude – even a sense of humor – even as the reality of his paralysis sets in.”
“The family is committed to his recovery and remain hopeful, in spite of the grave prognosis,” they added.
The funding appeal had raised more than 873,792 dollars toward its 1,100,000 dollars goal as of Monday evening, December 4.
In a statement posted on X, Hamid’s parent said they are “extremely relieved that Hamid has been released from the hospital” and that he was “still in pain and recovering”.
“Our priority is his well-being. Hamid told us that he was afraid to leave the hospital. Our child may be physically well enough to be out of the hospital, but he is still shaken from this horrific attack. We know that this tragedy will shape the rest of our lives,” his family said.
This crime comes at a time when human rights organizations have warned of an increase in hate crimes against Muslim Americans and people of Arab descent.
In October 2022, a Palestinian-American six-year-old American was fatally stabbed in Illinois, while his mother was injured, and the 71-year-old suspect pleaded not guilty.
