REVEALED: Vermont shooting suspect Jason J. Eaton who ‘gunned down three Palestinian college students’ was fired from financial services company weeks ago – and was a Boy Scout leader in New York
The Vermont shooting suspect who allegedly shot three Palestinian students was fired from his job in financial services several weeks ago, it has been revealed.
Jason James Eaton, 48, was described by family as a “spiritual person” who was acting normally on Thanksgiving – two days before the shooting.
Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed were visiting Awartani’s grandmother when they were shot on Saturday afternoon.
The students spoke Arabic and English and two of them were wearing keffiyehs, leading police to believe it was a hate-motivated attack.
Police say he confronted the students after emerging from a porch and shot them all without saying anything about his motive.
He was arrested at his home on Sunday and allegedly told police: “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Eaton appeared before a judge today during a virtual hearing where he pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second-degree murder
Jason J. Eaton, 48, is in custody. He is accused of shooting the three Palestinian students on Saturday
Eaton today pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder. The 48-year-old was a full-time sales assistant for CUSO Financial Services in Williston, but he was fired on Nov. 8.
He worked at the company for less than a year before being fired for unknown reasons.
While still employed, he described his role on his professional social media page with the phrase “laying down my life for my friends.”
Elisabeth Rutledge, a spokeswoman for the company, told the Boston Globe: “We are shocked by the shooting and are cooperating with law enforcement authorities as they investigate.”
Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said investigators believe Eaton moved to Burlington after previously living in Syracuse.
His work history is primarily in New York State. According to his social media, he worked as an assistant scout for a cub troop until 2021.
The Boy Scouts said in a statement: “Mr. Eaton’s alleged actions do not reflect Scouting’s values.
Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed were wearing keffiyeh scarves and speaking Arabic when they were shot on Saturday evening
Eaton’s mother said he is a “very religious” person but appeared normal on Thanksgiving
“Upon learning of his arrest, he was prohibited from registering with Scouting in any capacity and will be proactively placed on the Volunteer Screening Database, which will permanently prevent his registration or participation in the future.”
Eaton received no awards or accolades during his time as a scout – and there were no complaints about him during his time with the organization.
He is also a part-time farmer who describes himself as a “radical” libertarian on the “ADHD spectrum.”
Eaton’s shocked mother Mary Reed recounted The everyday beast he has had his ‘struggles’ in the past, but nothing indicated that he was capable of such violence.
She said he is a “very religious” person but that he seemed normal when she spent Thanksgiving with him on Thursday, two days before the shooting.
‘He thinks, like all of us, that the world is a mess. He is a spiritual person,” she said.
‘Jason has had a lot of problems in his life, but he is such a kind and loving person.
“I’m just shocked by the whole thing,” she said.
Eaton once attended the University of Idaho, but did not complete his degrees in natural resource ecology and conservation biology.
On his LinkedIn he wrote the Bible verse: ‘For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, Matthew 6:21.’
Hisham Awartani shared a photo of a hospital bed on Instagram. His family says it is unlikely he will ever move his legs again
Eaton is a 48-year-old former financial advisor and part-time farmer who describes himself as a “radical” libertarian on the “ADHD spectrum.” His social media pages are largely private, but indicate a disillusionment with America
Meanwhile, prosecutors said there is not yet enough evidence to charge Eaton with a hate crime, and they do not yet know what his motive was.
President Biden spoke with Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and later released a statement condemning the attack.
Awartani’s family members told NPR earlier today: ‘Doctors currently say it is unlikely he will regain the use of his legs.
“He is faced with a life of limitations, a potentially irreversible change in his life and what this means for his future.”
The bullet pierced his spine and is now lodged there. Doctors say surgery to remove it would be too dangerous.
His family, who live in the West Bank, sent him to the US because they thought he would be safer here.
The FBI in Albany, New York, posted a statement late Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, saying the bureau is actively investigating the shooting along with Burlington police, the ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting and would continue to receive updates from law enforcement.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations released a statement offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction of the person or persons responsible for the shootings.
The Institute for Middle East Understanding posted a statement on X that it said came from the families of the victims.
“We are extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of our children,” the statement said. “We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough investigation, including treating this as a hate crime. We won’t feel comfortable until the shooter is brought to justice.”
Ramallah Friends School posted a statement on Facebook saying the three young men had graduated from the private school in the West Bank.
First responders load one of the victims into an ambulance after Saturday’s shooting
“While we are relieved to know they are alive, we remain uncertain of their condition and are keeping them under review,” the school said. “We stand united in hope and support for their well-being during this challenging time.”
In response to the shooting, U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries encouraged people to “unequivocally denounce the surprising rise of anti-Arab hatred and Islamophobia in America.”
“No one should ever be targeted in our country because of their ethnicity or religious beliefs,” the New York Democrat said in the statement on X. “We will not let hate win.”
Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent, also denounced the shooting.
“It is shocking and deeply disturbing that three young Palestinians have been shot here in Burlington, VT. Hate belongs here and nowhere. I look forward to a full investigation,” Sanders said in a statement.
Gov. Phil Scott called the shooting a tragedy and called on state residents to unite and “not let this incident fuel further hatred or division.”
The Vermont-New Hampshire chapter of Jewish Voice For Peace, which has been pushing for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, released a statement saying it was “shocked by the shooting.”
“We stand in solidarity with the students, their families and everyone affected by this clear act of hate,” the organization said on Sunday. “We stand in solidarity with all Palestinian people in occupied Palestine, around the world, and here in Vermont – and we are committed to creating a Vermont that is safe and welcoming for all.”
The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group for Jewish people worldwide, also said through X that it was “shocked” by the attack and urged law enforcement to investigate the act as a possible hate crime.
Last month, an Illinois landlord was charged with a hate crime after he was accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and seriously injuring his mother in Chicago. Police and family members say he chose the victims because of their faith.