Shooting Suspect of Palestinian Students Was Former CUSO Financial Services Employee
Jason J. Eaton, charged with three counts of attempted murder, also had a connection with a New York credit union.
On Nov. 8, Jason J. Eaton, 48, of Burlington, Vt., was fired from his job as a sales assistant at CUSO Financial Services. Seventeen days later on the evening of Nov. 25, he allegedly aimed a handgun at three 20-year-old college students as they were walking on a street near the University of Vermont. Without saying a word, he shot four rounds, seriously injuring the men, and fled the scene of the crime, according to Burlington police.
After detectives identified Eaton as the prime suspect on Nov. 26 and secured a search warrant for his residence in an apartment building in front of which the shooting occurred, he was arrested. The next day he pleaded not guilty to three felony charges of attempted murder. The three students, who were visiting the family of one of the victims, were identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, according to local and national media reports.
“Jason Eaton worked less than a year at CUSO Financial and his employment had been terminated on November 8, 2023,” a CFS spokesperson said. “We are horrified by the shooting and are cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate. We have no further comment.”
On Eaton’s LinkedIn professional profile page, he listed his job at CFS when he was hired in January.
Below that listing, Eaton wrote: “Laying down my life for my friends.”
Local, state and federal authorities are investigating the attempted murders as a possible hate crime because the three victims are of Palestinian descent. Two of them are U.S. citizens and one is a legal resident. They are reportedly attending other universities.
Burlington police said when the shooting occurred, two of the victims were wearing keffiyehs, a checkered black and white scarf that is usually worn around the neck or head. The men also were speaking in English and Arabic, according to media reports. Two of the men were shot in the torso and one was shot in the lower extremities, according to police. Abdalhamid has been released from the hospital and Awartani, who suffered a spinal injury, had undergone surgery Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. The condition of Ali Ahmad has not been reported yet.
“We appreciate that our law enforcement partners are conducting the investigation into the identity of the shooter and the shooter’s motives in a careful and deliberate manner,” Vermont’s U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest, said in a prepared statement. “The United States Attorney’s Office and the Civil Rights Division will assess the evidence generated to determine whether a federal crime may have been committed.”
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 7, threats have escalated throughout the nation against Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities.
In addition to his former employment with CUSO Financial Services, Eaton had a connection with the $33.6 million Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union.
His LinkedIn page showed he co-authored a 193-page PDF text book, “Life Skills: Planning Your Financial Future,” to educate students about how to manage money. The book’s 2007 copyright is held by Syracuse Cooperative. The nine chapters included lesson plans and student materials on banking basics, putting money to work, credit cards, investments, predatory lending, consumer rights and responsibilities, and getting out of your parents’ house. The book’s acknowledgements thanked Eaton and another co-author for their vision, energy and countless hours that have been invaluable. The book was funded by grants from the NCUA, the New York Credit Union Foundation and the Deluxe Foundation.
Eaton was not an employee of the credit union. Officials from the credit union did not respond to CU Times‘ request for comment.
According to FINRA’s BrokerCheck site, Eaton was previously a registered broker and a previously registered investment adviser. He has been working in the financial services industry since 2002 when he was employed by Equity Services Inc. in Montpelier, Vt. He also worked at Cadaret Grant & Co. in Liverpool, N.Y., Edward Jones in East Syracuse and at TD Ameritrade in Fayetteville, N.Y.
His LinkedIn page also listed more than 45 positions that he held in agriculture, landscaping, carpentry, maintenance, education, training, sales, catering and research.
READ MORE: A PDF download of Jason J. Eaton’s LinkedIn Page.