Current:Home > MyBurley Garcia|Man charged with shooting 3 Palestinian college students accused of harassing ex-girlfriend in 2019 -WealthX
Burley Garcia|Man charged with shooting 3 Palestinian college students accused of harassing ex-girlfriend in 2019
PredictIQ View
Date:2025-04-08 13:03:22
The Burley Garciaman charged with shooting three college students of Palestinian descent in Vermont last weekend was accused several years ago of harassing an ex-girlfriend in New York state, but no charges were ever filed, according to a police report.
Jason J. Eaton’s ex called police in Dewitt, New York, a town near Syracuse, in 2019 saying she had received numerous text messages, emails and phone calls that were sexual in nature but not threatening from Eaton, and wanted him to stop contacting her, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press. NBC News first reported on the complaint.
The woman said Eaton had driven his pickup truck by her home that evening and a second time while she was talking to the police officer. She said she didn’t want to press charges against him but just wanted police to tell him to stop contacting her, the report states.
Police pulled over Eaton’s vehicle and he told them that he was under the impression that the woman still wanted to see him, according to the report. The officer told Eaton that the woman wanted absolutely no contact with him and he said he understood, according to police.
Eaton, 48, is currently being held without bail after his arrest Sunday in the city of Burlington on three counts of attempted murder. Authorities say he shot and seriously wounded Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad in Burlington on Saturday evening as they were walking near the University of Vermont. The students had been spending Thanksgiving break with one of the victims’ relatives who lived nearby.
Eaton had moved to Vermont this summer from the Syracuse, New York, area, according to Burlington police. He pleaded not guilty on Monday. Eaton’s name appeared in 37 Syracuse police reports from 2007 until 2021, but never as a suspect, said police spokesperson Lt. Matthew Malinowski. The cases ranged from domestic violence to larceny, and Eaton was listed as either a victim or the person filing the complaint in 21 of the reports, Malinowski said.
Authorities are investigating Saturday’s shooting to determine whether it constitutes a hate crime. The students were conversing in a mix of English and Arabic and two of them were also wearing black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves when they were shot, police said. One of the students has been released from the hospital, according to news reports, while one faces a long recovery because of a spinal injury.
Eaton had recently lost his job. He worked for less than a year for California-based CUSO Financial and his employment ended on Nov. 8, said company spokesperson Jeff Eller.
He legally purchased the gun used in the shooting, police said. On Sunday, Eaton came to the door of his apartment holding his hands up, and told the officers he’d been waiting for them. Federal agents found the gun in his apartment later that day.
The shooting victims had been friends since first grade at Ramallah Friends School, a private school in the West Bank. Rania Ma’ayeh, who leads the school, called them “remarkable, distinguished students.”
Awartani is studying mathematics and archaeology at Brown University; Abdalhamid is a pre-med student at Haverford College in Pennsylvania; and Ali Ahmad is studying mathematics and IT at Trinity College in Connecticut. Awartani and Abdalhamid are U.S. citizens while Ali Ahmad is studying on a student visa, Ma’ayeh said.
_____ Associated Press reporter Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this report.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Becoming Barbra: Where Streisand's star was born
- Blake Shelton Playfully Trolls Wife Gwen Stefani for Returning to The Voice After His Exit
- The UK’s interior minister sparks furor by accusing police of favoring pro-Palestinian protesters
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Bo Hines, who lost a close 2022 election in North Carolina, announces another Congress run
- Israeli military tour of northern Gaza reveals ravaged buildings, toppled trees, former weapons lab
- Minneapolis police lieutenant disciplined over racist email promoted to homicide unit leader
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Back in China 50 years after historic trip, a Philadelphia Orchestra violinist hopes to build ties
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Citi illegally discriminated against Armenian-Americans, feds say
- Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't believe he was ejected from Bucks' win over Pistons
- Clash between Constitutional and appeals courts raises concerns over rule of law in Turkey
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Actors strike ends, but what's next? Here's when you can expect your shows and movies back
- Is it cheaper to go to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner? Maybe not this year.
- Man arrested after he pulls gun, fires 2 shots trying to prevent purse snatching on NYC subway
Recommendation
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Top US accident investigator says close calls between planes show that aviation is under stress
Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS Launches the Ultimate Holiday Shop Featuring Patrick Mahomes and Family
Farmers get billions in government aid. Some of that money could fight climate change too.
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
Sammy Hagar is selling his LaFerrari to the highest bidder: 'Most amazing car I’ve ever owned'
Hollywood celebrates end of actors' strike on red carpets and social media: 'Let's go!'
Danica Roem makes history as first openly transgender person elected to Virginia state Senate