by Guy Page
A gofundme page has raised $1.37 million for recovery and rehabilitation costs for Hisham Awartani, who is paralyzed below the waist after being shot in the chest November 25 in Burlington.
More than 18,000 donors have contributed since the Family and Friends of Hisham fund was started five days ago.
The Palestinian college student of archeology at Brown University and two friends were reportedly shot without warning on South Prospect St. by Jason Eaton, 48, of Burlington, a Woodstock native and former Sterling College student with a history of mental illness.
Eaton was found Sunday in his Prospect St. apartment by police and charged with three counts of attempted murder. He was jailed without bail.
The gofundme page offers other details:
“On Saturday, Nov 25th, 2023, Hisham — a 20 yr old junior at Brown University — and his childhood friends Kinnan and Tahseen were walking to Hisham’s grandmother’s house for dinner in Burlington, Vermont, when all three were shot in an unprovoked attack.
“We are thankful that all three will survive this attack, and Hisham’s friends are expected to make a full recovery. For Hisham, however, one of the bullets that struck him is lodged in his spine and has left him paralyzed from the chest down.
“Hisham’s first thoughts were for his friends, then for his parents who were thousands of miles away. He has demonstrated remarkable courage, resilience and fortitude – even a sense of humor – even as the reality of his paralysis sets in.
“We, his family, believe that Hisham will change the world. He’ll change the world through his spirit, his mind and his compassion for those much more vulnerable than himself, especially the thousands of dead in Gaza and many more struggling to survive the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding there.”
A second extensive story by Seven Days confirmed this week that Eaton had a history of mental instability, was active with a Unitarian-Universalist church in Burlington, and made several pro-Palestinian comments on social media.