One of Three Vermont Shooting Victims Is Paralyzed

Hisham Awartani, of Palestinian descent, is paralyzed from the chest down
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 3, 2023 6:36 AM CST
One Vermont Shooting Victim Is Paralyzed
A file photo of, from left, Tahseen Ali Ahmad, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Hisham Awartani, the three shooting victims in Vermont.   (Rich Price via AP, File)

The most seriously injured of the three young Palestinian men who were shot in Vermont last month is expected to leave the hospital soon, but Hisham Awartani is paralyzed from the chest down, reports CNN. Awartani was shot along with friends Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, who are expected to make full recoveries from their injuries. All three men are 20. Awartani's mother, Elizabeth Price, said doctors told her Awartani has an "incomplete spinal injury," meaning he can feel his legs but cannot move them. The family has set up a GoFundMe page for his medical expenses, which had raised $114,000 toward its $250,000 goal as of Sunday morning.

"We, his family, believe that Hisham will change the world," the fundraising page reads. "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." Awartani lives in the West Bank but was attending Brown University in Rhode Island. Suspected shooter Jason Eaton remains in custody as police investigate whether he might additionally be charged with hate crimes. Eaton is white. The three victims were chatting in Arabic and American, and two were wearing Palestinian scarves when shot, per CNN. (The alleged gunman is no stranger to police.)

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