Here’s what we know about Jason Eaton—the alleged shooter of three Palestinian college students—who pleaded not guilty Monday one day after he was arrested in connection to the Vermont shooting.
Police arrested Jason J. Eaton Sunday, the suspect in the shooting of three young men of Palestinian ... [+]
BURLINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT VIA AP
KEY FACTS
Eaton faces three counts of attempted murder—charges that bring the potential for life sentences—after allegedly shooting three men of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday. Eaton recently arrived to Vermont from the Syracuse area, Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said Monday at a press conference, but the only record police have of Eaton is a traffic stop—police have not found any criminal record for Eaton. PROMOTED The gun Eaton used in Saturday’s shooting was acquired legally a few months ago, Murad said. Eaton, 48, reportedly had “a lot of struggles in his life,” his mother, Mary Reed, told the Daily Beast Monday, adding that she was “shocked by the whole thing.” Reed told the Daily Beast that her son had struggled with mental health issues including depression but was in “such a good mood” and “totally normal” when she saw him on Thanksgiving. Forbes Daily: Get our best stories, exclusive reporting and essential analysis of the day’s news in your inbox every weekday. Sign Up By signing up, you accept and agree to our Terms of Service (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and Privacy Statement. Eaton did not mention the war in the Middle East at Thanksgiving, Reed told the Daily Beast, but she noted that her son was “a very religious person” who often reads the Bible and “like all of us, thinks the world is a mess.”
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CRUCIAL QUOTE
“I just don’t understand,” Reed told the Daily Beast. “I can’t believe he would do something like this.” The last time Reed saw her son was Thursday, she told the Daily Beast, adding that she found out her son was the suspect Monday morning.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW
Eaton’s motive for allegedly shooting the three students remains unclear, though there is some speculation that the shooting was a hate crime. Over the weekend, police said that in this “charged moment” it’s possible the men were targeted because they are Arab. At Monday’s press conference, Sarah George, Chittenden County States Attorney, said that while they do not have evidence, at this time, to support a hate-crime enhancement on Eaton’s charges, “there is no question this is a hateful act.”
KEY BACKGROUND
On Saturday, three college students—Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, all age 20—were walking on a Burlington, Vermont, street when Eaton allegedly fired at least four rounds using a handgun and did not say anything to the victims. Police said he fled the scene. The victims were identified in a joint statement released by the families through the Institute for Middle East Understanding. Abdalhamid is a student at Haverford College, Ahmad is a student at Trinity College and Awartani is a student at Brown University. The shooting happened outside Awartani’s grandmother's home, who the men were visiting for Thanksgiving, CNN reported. Eaton reportedly lives in an apartment building in front of where the shooting took place, which led police to search Eaton’s home where they found “probable cause to believe that Mr. Eaton perpetrated the shooting,” CNN reported. At Monday’s press conference, Murad said police were able to link casings found at the scene of the shooting to the gun found in Eaton’s apartment. As of Monday, two of the victims are in stable condition and one has “much more serious injuries,” police said. Awartani was shot in the spine and faces a long recovery, Rich Price, Awartani’s uncle said Monday at a press conference. Court records obtained by Vermont Public Radio show Abdalhamid was shot in the glute and Ali Ahmad was shot in the upper chest.
Ana Faguy, Forbes Staff
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