REVEALED: Vermont shooting suspect Jason J. Eaton who 'gunned down three Palestinian college students' was fired from financial services company weeks ago - and was a Boy Scout leader in New York

The Vermont shooting suspect who was arrested for gunning down three Palestinian college students was fired from his financial services job just weeks ago - and was previously a Boy Scout leader in New York.

Jason James Eaton, 48, was described by family as being a 'spiritual person,' who was acting normal on Thanksgiving - two days before the shooting.

Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed were visiting Awartani's grandmother's house when they were shot on Saturday afternoon.

The students were speaking in Arabic and English and two of them were wearing keffiyehs, leading police to believe it was a hate-motivated attack.

Police say he confronted the students after emerging from a porch , shooting them all without saying anything about his motive. He was arrested on Sunday at his home, and is said to have told police: 'I've been waiting for you.'

Eaton appeared before a judge at a virtual court hearing today where he pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted second degree murder

Jason J. Eaton, 48, is in custody. He is accused of shooting the three Palestinian students on Saturday

Eaton today pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder.

The 48-year-old was a full-time sales assistant for CUSO Financial Services in Williston - but he was terminated on November 8.

He worked at the company for less than a year before being sacked for undisclosed reasons.

While he was still an employee, he described his role with the phrase 'laying down my life for my friends,' on his professional social media page.

Elisabeth Rutledge, a company spokeswoman, told the Boston Globe: 'We are horrified by the shooting and are cooperating with law enforcement as they investigate.'

Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said investigators believe Eaton moved to Burlington, having previously lived in Syracuse.

His work history is based mainly in New York State. According to his social media, he worked as an assistant scoutmaster for a Cub Scout troop until 2021.

The Boy Scouts said in a statement: 'Mr. Eaton's alleged actions do not reflect the values of Scouting.

Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed wearing keffiyeh scarves and speaking Arabic when they were shot on Saturday night

Eaton's mother said he is a 'very religious' person but had seemed normal on Thanksgiving

'Upon learning of his arrest he was been banned from registering in Scouting any capacity and will be proactively placed in the Volunteer Screening Database, permanently preventing his registration or participation in the future.'

Eaton did not receive any honors or awards during his time as a scout - and there were no complaints about him during his time with the organization.

He is also a part-time farmer who describes himself as a 'radical' libertarian on the ' ADHD spectrum'.

Eaton's shocked mother Mary Reed told The Daily Beast he has had his 'struggles' in the past but that nothing indicated he was capable of such violence.

She said he is a 'very religious' person, but had seemed normal when she spent Thanksgiving with him on Thursday, two days before the shooting.

'He, like all of us, thinks the world is a mess. He is a spiritual person,' she said.

'Jason has had a lot of struggles in his life but he is such a kind and loving person.

'I am just shocked by the whole thing,' she said.

Eaton once attended the University of Idaho, but did not finish his degree in natural resource ecology and conservation biology.

On his LinkedIn, he wrote the bible verse: 'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:21‬.'