CNN —The shooting of three Palestinian college students in Vermont has prompted calls for the suspect to be charged with a hate crime. “When you add a hate crime enhancement that changes things,” George said at a news conference Monday. Crimes based on gender identity accounted for 4% of hate crimes, 1.5% were based on disability and less than 1% on gender. The Justice Department began prosecuting federal hate crime cases after the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was signed into law. Their murders shocked the nation and later moved Congress to pass a new hate crimes statute.

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Persons: Jason J, Eaton, Jon Murad, Murad, Jason Eaton, Sarah George, ” George, “, Elliot Williams, ” Williams, Williams, CNN’s Erin Burnett, Elie Honig, ” Honig, Honig, James Byrd , Jr, White, Matthew Shepard, CNN’s Eric Levenson, Elizabeth Wolfe, Tori Morales Pinales, Melissa Alonso Organizations: CNN, Burlington Police, Vermont . Burlington Police Department Authorities, Hamas, Justice Department, DOJ, FBI, feds, Civil, Department of Justice Locations: Vermont, Israel, Chittenden, New Jersey, Chittenden County, Jasper , Texas, Wyoming