Hisham Awartani GoFundMe raises over $750,000 as Palestinian student shot in Vermont paralyzed from waist down

Hisham Awartani, a 20-year-old Palestinian-Irish-American college student, is reportedly paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot alongside childhood friends Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad in an unprovoked attack in Burlington, Vermont, last month.

On November 25, 2023, Awartani, Ahmad, and Abdalhamid were reportedly strolling near the University of Vermont, about a block from Awartani's grandmother’s house, when a suspect, now identified as Jason Eaton, approached the men and wordlessly shot all three.

The victims of Palestinian descent, who are undergraduate students at colleges in their 20s, were transported to a hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds to the spine, buttocks and chest.

In a GoFundMe Page created to raise funds to cover Awartani’s medical costs, his family said that the 20-year-old junior at Brown University could face permanent paralysis due to a bullet lodged in his spine.

The page, which has raised over $750,000, also revealed that Tahseen Aliahmad and Kinnan Abdalhamid survived their injuries and are expected to make a full recovery. They wrote:

“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.”

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Hisham Awartani is scheduled to be released from the hospital next week

The family of Palestinian-Irish-American college student Hisham Awartani revealed that the 20-year-old was paralyzed from the waist down after he was shot alongside his two childhood friends in a suspected hate-motivated crime last month.

The update, provided in a GoFundMe Page created to cover the Awartani’s medical cost, said that the family continues to remain hopeful despite the devastating prognosis. They wrote:

“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.”

NPR, citing his uncle Rich Price, reported Awartani was scheduled to be released from the hospital next week and begin rehabilitation.

Per the fundraising page, Hisham Awartani is a Palestinian-Irish-American, who grew up in the West Bank alongside his two friends, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad. The trio reportedly graduated from the Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker institution in the West Bank.

Awartani was reportedly pursuing a dual degree, studying math and archaeology at Brown University at the time of the attack. He was also a teaching assistant at the school. Meanwhile, Kinnan Abdalhamid went to Haverford College in Pennsylvania and Tahseen Ali Ahmad attended Trinity College in Connecticut.

The suspect, Jason Eaton, accused of shooting the victims of Palestinian descent was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder. The suspect, scheduled to appear in court on December 18, has pleaded not guilty.