New Jersey Man Arrested Twice For Domestic Abuse Shoots And Kills Ex-Girlfriend

Kareem Dawson shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Tiffany Wilson, after she attempted to flee from him during an argument about the couple's children. Dawson had previously been arrested for domestic abuse on two occasions, and Wilson had been staying at a domestic violence shelter only three weeks before her death.

According to NBC New York, Dawson had attempted to confront Wilson in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday morning. Wilson ran at the sight of him and was pursued in the street, where she was gunned down. She was taken to University Hospital and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Dawson fled the scene in his car and was chased by police. He shot himself in the head before law enforcement officials found him. He survived the self-inflicted wound and is currently recovering in a local hospital. He now faces murder charges.

Dawson had previously attempted to attack Wilson in December of 2017. After abducting his daughter from another location, Dawson engaged in a public argument with Wilson at their son's day care center. The facility had locked Dawson out of the building, knowing of Wilson's protective order against him. Wilson later followed Dawson and attacked her by pulling her out of her car and throwing her to the ground. Police chased the armed Dawson and apprehended him.

"She cared for her kids a lot and she wanted the best for them," said Hany Yacoub, director of the day care center, describing Wilson. "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."

[Photo: Twitter]

According to NJ.com, Dawson had also been charged with aggravated assault in October of 2017. 

"We can't go on losing lives like this," said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in a statement. "In the wake of this murder, I am calling for all parties involved in criminal justice in Newark and Essex County: legislators, police, prosecutors, and judges to come together and collaborate to review criminal justice reform."

"Together," the mayor said, "we need to look at the downgrading of charges by prosecutors, especially in cases of domestic violence, and to fix the serious flaws in bail reform."

Baraka's sister was also killed in a domestic violence incident, and he said he is "determined to do everything possible to prevent these senseless killings."

Jezebel notes that 72 percent of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94 percent of the victims in these cases are women. About 55 percent of women killed in the United States die in an incident related to intimate partner violence. On average, approximately three women are killed every day in America by intimate partners.

[Photo: Facebook, New Jersey Police]