Jason J. Eaton Accused in Vermont Shooting of Palestinian Men

Jason J. Eaton is the suspect accused of shooting and injuring three Palestinian students in Burlington, Vermont, on Saturday, November 25, 2023, according to a press release from the Burlington Police Department.

In the press release update issued on November 26, 2023, Burlington police announced the arrest. Eaton has been charged with three counts of second-degree attempted murder and is being held without bail, WCAX reported.

Eaton had a prolific social media presence. On a cached X, formerly Twitter, page, his cover photo showed a gun and read, “Libertarians want trans furrys to be able to protect their cannabis farms with (unclear word) machine guns.”

The top post there reads, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12.”

The page contains posts that cover everything from the Ukraine-Russia conflict to Supreme Court decisions.

“To Jews, Avraham (the Hebrew name) is the father of the Jewish people; to Christians, Abraham is the father of the Christian family of faith; and to Muslims, Ibrahim (Arabic) is the father of prophets in Islam,” said one post.

He shared a video of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on November 7, 2023, wrote, “Get him on the ballot in your state by writing in.”

X (Jason Eaton)A post by Jason Eaton on X (formerly Twitter).

“On Sunday afternoon, at approximately 1538 hours, ATF agents who were conducting a canvass at the location of the shooting encountered and detained Jason J. Eaton, 48,” the news release indicated.

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission to the U.K., revealed on X that the three students were on their way to a family dinner.

“Three young Palestinian men, Hisham Awartani, Tahseen Ali and Kenan Abdulhamid, students at Brown and other US universities, were shot last night on their way to a family dinner in Burlington, USA.,” he wrote on X.

ADCJason J. Eaton (not pictured) is accused of shooting the three Palestinian students in this photo.

“Their crime? Wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh. They are critically injured. And Six weeks ago, 6-year old Palestinian child was stabbed 26 times in a hate crime in Illinois. The hate crimes against Palestinians must stop. Palestinians everywhere need protection.”

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Jason J. Eaton, Whose Mother Said Struggles With Depression & Was a ‘Very Religious Person,’ Lives in an Apartment Building ‘in Front of Which the Shooting Took Place,’ Police Say

Instagram (Jason Eaton)Jason Eaton’s Instagram account.

Eaton’s mother told The Daily Beast that he struggled with depression in the past but had just joined his family for Thanksgiving.

“Jason has had a lot of struggles in his life but he is such a kind and loving person,” Mary Reed, his mother, told The Daily Beast. “I am just shocked by the whole thing.”

Reed also told the outlet that Eaton was a “very religious person” who reads the Bible, adding, “He, like all of us, thinks the world is a mess. He is a spiritual person.”

According to the news release, detectives “worked with the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont, and with the Chittenden County State’s Attorney, Sarah George, to complete a search warrant for Mr. Eaton’s residence in the apartment building in front of which the shooting took place.”

They added, “A judge granted the search warrant and officers executed it at 21534 hours. Evidence collected during that Search warrant, and additional evidence developed during the course of this investigation, gave investigators and prosecutors probable cause to believe that Mr. Eaton perpetrated the shooting. He has been arrested and is expected to be arraigned on Monday November 27, 2023.”

“Throughout the day on Sunday, November 26, 2023, investigators led by Lieutenant Michael Beliveau of the Burlington Police Department’s Detectives Services Bureau conducted a series of canvasses, interviews, and other investigatory procedures in an effort to identify, locate and apprehend the suspect believed to have shot three 20 year old men the previous evening,” the news release said.

“The BPD’s detectives were augmented by a contingent of personnel from long-term partners in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with whom the BPD regularly works through the Chittenden County Gun Violence task Force. The BPD also received outstanding assistance from agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including victim services and computer and cell phone analysis,” it continued.

According to The Daily Beast, an affidavit says Eaton shot the students outside the home of one of their grandmothers. Awartani told police they were going for a walk and “spoke in a mix of both English and Arabic,” when he said Eaton opened fire from about two yards away, The Daily Beast reported.

Two of the men told police they were wearing Palestinian scarves, the outlet reported.

On Instagram, one post by Eaton defines the word “Amerika” as “a word used to describe the worst sense of the United States, i.e. imperialism, corruption, and the global exportation of American culture. “ He quoted “Rammstein” and wrote “rise against: would God bless our ineffective court system? God bless the sweatshops we run.”

He posted photos and videos on Instagram of chickens, a horse, farm vistas, and fires outside.

2. Jason Eaton’s LinkedIn Page Says He Worked as a ‘Social Entrepreneur’ & Farmer Who Was Into ‘Sustainable & Regenerative Agriculture’

Instagram (Jason Eaton)A post by Jason Eaton on Instagram.

On X, a page in Eaton’s name reads, “radical citizen…pa-trolling demockracy and crapitalism for oathcreepers.”

On LinkedIn, Eaton described himself as a person who “talks about #finance, #sustainability, #organicagriculture, #socialentrepreneur, and #envrionmentalentrepreneur.”

The Daily Beast reported he was fired from at least one financial services job.

He also claimed he worked as a research assistant for Harvard University as an intern.

In the “about” section, he quoted the Bible: “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew‬ ‭6:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬” and wrote, “All posts are the opinion of the author. As such, they should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of anyone else or the author’s employer.”

Under work experience, he wrote that he was a sales assistant for a financial services company in Williston, Vermont, and added, “Laying down my life for my friends.”

He wrote that he was “self-employed” as a “social entrepreneur” in Middlebury, Vermont, and included the quote, “working together to make health, local, living economies the best investment worldwide.”

The LinkedIn page also describes Eaton as a “farmer and craftsman” who was “into growing stuff. Building stuff,” an investment adviser representative in Fayetteville, New York, a seasonal farmer who did “animal husbandry” and “sustainable and regenerative agriculture” as well as a “night cleaner” who “helped a local small business make it through the pandemic.”

He listed many other jobs over the years, including foreman at a landscaping company, day laborer, carpenter, snow plow operator and farm manager.

3. Jason Eaton Had a Website With the Phrase ‘Radical Citizen’ Written Out Phonetically

Eaton has a website that contains the header, “răd′ĭ-kəl sĭt′ĭ-zən.”

It says: “This is not advice. Use at your own risk.ˌɪn.səˈbɔːr.dən.ət since 1975. Casting out the money lenders since 2003.”

The website also contains the words, “kŏng′grĭs = together. rĭ-pŭb′lĭk = no king.” One page of the website reads:

Sec. 223 INVESTMENT ADVISERS ACT OF 1940 38 (d) NATIONAL DE MINIMIS STANDARD.—

No law of any State or political subdivision thereof requiring the registration, licensing, or qualification as an investment adviser shall require an investment adviser to register with the securities commissioner of the State (or any agency or officer performing like functions) or to comply with such law (other than any provision thereof prohibiting fraudulent conduct) if the investment adviser— (1) does not have a place of business located within the State; and (2) during the preceding 12-month period, has had fewer than 6 clients who are residents of that State.

He has a podcast page with a couple audio files about investment.

Other pages on the website offer financial advice. The website links to an Instagram page that has been deleted.

4. Jason J. Eaton Wrote That He Learned About the ‘Humanities From Living With Other Humans’ & Had a ‘Grass Roots Certificate’ in Natural Resource Management

X (Jason Eaton)Screenshot of Jason Eaton’s X (formerly Twitter) profile page.

On LinkedIn, Eaton wrote that he had a “grass roots certificate” in Natural Resource Management from Sterling College.

“Learned about forestry by logging with axes and horses. Learned about ecology from scientists in the field, and humanities from living with other humans,” he wrote.

He wrote that he was a pre-professional in forestry at Paul Smith’s College.

“Activities and societies: Became an engaged citizen by getting involved with student government. Mucked out the horse stalls each day before class. Drove the stage coach four-up in the parade. Presented at my first ecosystem symposium on how fast food and timber trade destroy undervalued rain forests,” he wrote.

He also claimed he was attending the University of Idaho, but listed his graduate date as 2030. “I have 5 credits remaining to complete my bachelors in General Studies. I am 17 credits short of a BS in Natural Resource Ecology and Conservation Biology. It might take me the rest of my life to finish,” he noted.

Eaton also had a YouTube page that has been deleted.

5. The 3 Palestinian Students Were Going to a Family Dinner When They Were Shot, Reports Say

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee wrote on X, “This morning, ADC was contacted about the shooting, after reviewing the information, we have reason to believe that the shooting was motivated by the three victims being Arab.”

The ADC identified the shot students as Hisham Awartani, 20, of Brown University; Kinnan Abdalhamid, 20, of Haverford University; and Tahseen Ahmed, 20, of Trinity University.

WCAX reported that the three men were shot on North Prospect Street around 6:25 p.m. Seven Days VT.com reported that the three men were shot “near the University of Vermont campus.”

According to the ADC, “The three victims were wearing a Kuffiyeh and speaking Arabic. A man shouted and harassed the victims. Then he proceeded to open fire, injuring all three. ADC calls on law enforcement in Vermont to investigate this shooting as a hate crime.”

NBC News reported that the Kuffiyeh “is a traditional scarf worn by people in parts of the Middle East. The scarf has become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.”

The ADC “has reached out to the DOJ and the FBI to also call on an immediate hate crimes investigation.”

The post quotes the ADC National Executive Director Abed Ayoub as saying, “We are praying for a full recovery of the victims, and will support the families in any way that is needed. Given the information collected and provided, it is clear that the hate was a motivating factor in this shooting.”

He added, “We call on law enforcement to investigate it as such. The surge in anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment we are experiencing is unprecedented, and this is another example of that hate turning violent.”

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