Jennifer Paulson, Special-Ed Teacher, Killed by Stalker Jed Waits

Jennifer Paulson, a special education teacher at Birney Elementary School in Tacoma, Washington, was shot dead by a stalker, Jed Waits, early this morning. According to witnesses, 30-year-old Paulson was shot sometime around 7:30 a.m., before kids arrived, in the school parking lot during a confrontation with Waits.

Waits was arrested last week for violating a restraining order Paulson had filed against him in September 2009; he paid his bail on Monday.

Following Paulson's murder, Waits fled the scene. One witness explained, "I heard a teacher screaming at the top of her lungs - just screaming. I looked out my window and I saw the guy. He started running down the middle of the street and got in his car."  

Waits was later apprehended and killed in a shootout with Pierce County Police; Pierce County Sheriff spokesman Ed Troyer said, "We knew we were pulling somebody over that had just been involved in a shooting, so our guys were real careful, but he still came out with a handgun, fired off a round. Our guys fired rounds back, the suspect's deceased."

Paulson and Waits had apparently known one another since University, where they worked together in the cafeteria at Seattle Pacific University.

Ken Paulson, the victim's father, said that his daughter had not heard from Waits for some years following university until he called Ken and Cindy Paulson's home looking for Jennifer.

Cindy Paulson, the victim's step-mother, said of Jennifer in an interview, "She had a tender heart and would go out of her way with both time and energy, spending long hours at school... to help the students in this community," Cindy said. "She poured out her life for this community. She poured out her life for her family. She poured out her life for her lord. We love her. She will be missed tremendously."