What to Know
- Tiffany Wilson, 28, was shot dead Tuesday allegedly by her ex-boyfriend, who cops say snatched the couple's kids in December
- The suspect, Kareem Dawson, went to confront the mother of his kids in the morning, and she tried to flee when she saw him, sources said
- Police chased Dawson all the way from Newark to Summit, where Dawson shot himself in the head; he survived and is at a hospital
A New Jersey man who was ordered to stay away from his ex-girlfriend after he snatched their daughter and tried to abduct their son from day care last December has killed the woman on a Newark street, law enforcement sources say.
Kareem Dawson went to confront the mother of his children Tuesday morning, and she tried to flee when she saw him, sources said. Tiffany Wilson, 28, had just moved to the block on Scheerer Avenue three weeks ago from a domestic violence shelter.
Dawson chased after Wilson and shot and killed her on the street. She was taken to University Hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to police.
Responding police officers identified the car in which Dawson fled, and a Newark officer spotted the car and tried to pull him over, according to sources.
He took off, and police chased him all the way to Summit, where Dawson shot himself in the head. He is still alive and being treated at an area hospital, authorities say.
He is facing murder charges.
Last December, the 31-year-old Dawson allegedly took his 4-year-old daughter from a location in Inglewood, then drove to his son's day care center in Maplewood, where he attacked Wilson while she was dropping off their son, according to police. Workers there had refused to unlock the door for him because they knew Wilson had a restraining order against him.
He followed her to her car, police said, and pulled her out of the vehicle and slammed her to the ground. Witnesses at the scene said the man had a gun at the time. Afterward, he left with his daughter as Wilson ran back into the day care to get help.
Local
Police tracked him and his daughter down about 18 miles away, in Woodbridge Township, where he surrendered to police. Police found a gun in the man's trunk, and the girl was unharmed when officers got on scene.
The girl was returned to her mother at the time, authorities said.
People who knew Wilson described her as a businesswoman and devoted mother. Hany Yacoub, director of the day care center that her children attended, said, "She cared for her kids a lot and she wanted the best for them."
But Wilson was also petrified of Dawson and told people she feared he was stalking her.
"She said she always takes different routes coming here because she thinks he's following her, and apparently that day he was able to follow her," said Yacoub.
