Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ahmed were shot in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday night(Image: Family Handout)

Suspect in shooting of Palestinian students fired from job weeks before attack

Jason J. Eaton, is accused of shooting and injuring Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ahmed in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday night as the students walked to a family dinner

by · The Mirror

The suspect in the shooting of three Palestinian students was fired from his finance job just weeks before the attack, it has emerged.

Jason J. Eaton, is accused of shooting and injuring Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ahmed in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday night at around 6.30pm. Two injured men were discovered at the scene, with a third found a short distance away.

Eaton, 48, who pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder, was reportedly terminated from his role as a sales assistant at CUSO Financial Services on November 8 after working there for less than a year, the company said Monday. A CUSO spokeswoman said: "We are horrified by the shooting and are cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate. We have no further comment."

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Eaton also listed additional jobs on his LinkedIn profile he had occupied over the years, including a farmer and craftsman, a night cleaner at a noodle shop, and a “social entrepreneur", reports the New York Post. He was arrested on Sunday after allegedly shooting three Palestinian students, all age 20, as they walked to a family dinner.

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Jason J. Eaton, who pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder, was terminated from his role as a sales assistant at CUSO Financial Services( Image: Burlington Vermont Police Depart)

Police say they were speaking Arabic and two of them were wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Arabic scarf, when they were attacked. Their injuries left two of the victims with injuries to their torso and police said one was injured in the “lower extremities”.

Injured victims were identified by their relatives while colleges provided updates on their medical conditions. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives held Eaton in connection with the shooting. They obtained a search warrant for his home and found additional evidence and probable cause which connected him to the alleged shooting.

Police at the scene in Burlington, Vermont, where three Palestinian men were shot( Image: AP)

Eaton pleaded not guilty when he was charged on Monday morning was held without bail until his appearance in court which has still to be scheduled. Mary Reed, Eaton's mum, told The Daily Beast her son had struggled with mental health and job security but was "in such a good mood" at Thanksgiving on Thursday when they last met.

"Jason has had a lot of struggles in his life," she said. "I am just shocked by the whole thing." The public were urged to avoid to avoid jumping to conclusions "based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less" than the police who are investigating.