In the early morning hours of February 6, 2018, Tiffany K. Wilson, a 28-year-old mother of two, was shot and killed on the 100 block of Scheerer Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. A lifelong resident of the city, she was pronounced dead at University Hospital. The man accused of her murder was her ex-boyfriend and the father of her children, 31-year-old Kareem Dawson of Irvington.
Wilson had been in a relationship with Dawson and the two had two children together, a daughter named Kayla and a
son, Kareem Jr. However, the relationship was fraught with violence, and Wilson had taken legal steps to protect herself, including obtaining a restraining order against Dawson. In the months leading up to her death, Dawson had been arrested twice for assaulting Wilson. One of these incidents occurred in October, and another took place in December outside of a daycare in Maplewood, where he also allegedly attempted to abduct their son. Despite these charges, Dawson was released from custody on both occasions. Fearful for her safety, Wilson had recently moved with her children from a women's shelter to a new neighborhood in an attempt to hide from Dawson.
On the day of the fatal shooting, Dawson pursued Wilson and shot her. Following the incident, he fled the scene, leading police on a chase that ended in the neighboring town of Summit. When cornered by law enforcement, Dawson shot himself. He survived the initial self-inflicted gunshot wound and was transported to Morristown Medical Center, where he was charged with murder. Ten days later, on February 16, 2018, Kareem Dawson died from his injuries.
The death of Tiffany Wilson drew attention to the issue of domestic violence and the state's bail reform system. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who had also lost a sister to domestic violence, expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the bail reform laws that allowed Dawson to be released despite his history of violence against Wilson. Advocates for domestic violence victims echoed these sentiments, stating that the system had failed to protect her. Tiffany Wilson was remembered by her family as a beloved mother, daughter, and sister.
