Posted on 02/26/2010 2:53:20 PM PST by Red in Blue PA
A man apparently infatuated with a special education teacher he knew from college shot and killed her as she walked into her elementary school Friday, shortly before students began arriving.
The suspect was killed in a shootout with a deputy a short time later about 10 miles away, said Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
The man had been released on bail Monday after being arrested a week ago for violating a protective order the teacher, Jennifer Paulson, obtained in September 2008, said Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum.
The victim's father, Ken Paulson, said she was kind and loving, and that's probably why she was a special education teacher. He described the 30-year-old as a devout Christian.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Who knew a piece of paper saying not to do something combined with being in a Gun Free Zone could make one a voctim?/sarc
Godspeed to her.
I’m wondering if the “authorities” informed her when this creep was going to be released (so she could pack her own heat).
One can only wonder what the outcome would have been had she had the option to arm herself.
How did a guy with a order of protection against him get his hands on any kind of firearm?
Either the Sheriff who served the original papers didn't confiscate any weapons he had, or he acquired a weapon at a private sale. I hope that it's the former and not the latter, or this will start the whole "ban private sales" business again.
I’m pretty sure “infatuated” is an understatement for “obsessed.”
I am so sad for this father . I have to say as a father of 3 girls that they will never file an order for a piece of paper to protect them. Unless its the paper to obtain a CCW permit.
Schools are “gun free zones.” Poor lady never had a chance.
It’s fantasitic that the zero-tolerance gun policy we have in our schools keep people like this teacher safe. Same with our little paper court orders.
Kudos to the liberals for saving yet another life. /sarc
I am sad for the woman. Glad the cops killed the murderer in the shootout, one less scumbag to be propped up for life in prison on the taxpayers’ dime.
Restraining orders are on the radar in other states because of legislation pending to pre-emptively confiscate firearms from anyone who is subject to these kinds of things. Might be a federal law, who knows if that’s what they are thinking.
I don’t understand restraining orders, because nobody can be protected 24/7 by the cops or anybody else, unless they are independently wealthy.
My sister has a masters in special ed, and once had a highschool aged student who exhibited all three. Although she's left the profession in order to homeschool her own kids, I always worry about one of her old students tracking her down.
Probably not. Don’t know. I do know that if she had packed heat to school she would have probably been arrested and fired.
Guns don’t kill people. Gun-free zones do.
Condolensces to her family.
I wonder what percentage of restraining orders end up with someone dead.
Wouldn’t it be nice if criminally minded people obeyed laws like decent people??? /s
This is infuriatingly senseless. She went out of her way to protect herself. She may not have known that he had been released, or perhaps she never thought he would gun her down. Just heartbreaking.
My heart goes out to her family and friends, and the students. God bless and be with them.
Haven’t you heard? Nutcases have privacy rights.
Here in Ioway, there’s a big trial for a nutjob who shot and killed a very popular and outstanding high school football coach. He was in the hospital for wigging out beyond FUBAR, and they let him out anyway without notifying anyone.
This isn’t a new problem, sadly in some ways. Well, every way. Virtually every county in the country, for example, once had a County Home platted on the real estate to provide a place for folks who shouldn’t be around in public or polite company.
“The man had been released on bail Monday after being arrested a week ago for violating a protective order the teacher, Jennifer Paulson, obtained in September 2008, said Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum.”
The best “restraining order” has six .45 caliber chambers.
This bastard should never have been released.
Once again, the JUSTICE system cheats the law-abiding public.
I don’t see that these “protective” orders are protection at all and probably just serve as feel-good for the protectee and extra aggravation and motivation for the target of the order.
http://www.volunteertv.com/news/headlines/85208132.html
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- For the first time today we heard what happened during a shooting at Inskip Elementary from one of the victims.
Amy brace testified Wednesday. Exactly two weeks after, police say, Mark Stephen Foster, 48, shot her and Principal Elisa Luna.
Luna is recovering at a rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta.
Wednesday, Brace spoke at Foster's Preliminary Hearing.
Brace described what lead up to their meeting with fourth grade teacher, Foster, and what she remembers of the four shots fired.
The Prosecution asked, "Is the defendant the person who shot you?" Brace responded, "Absolutely!"
Inskip Elementary School, Assistant Principal Amy Brace testified in felony court against Mark Foster.
The prosecution asked, "Did you have concerns about Mark Foster's performance as an employee at Inskip?" And, Brace replied, "Yes ma'am."
Those concerns led to Principal Elisa Luna and Amy Brace's decision to end Foster's contract. So, they scheduled a meeting with Foster, and Brace said, "Ms. Luna put a note in his box a day or two prior."
She says they laid out all the issues with Foster, shortly after Noon.
Brace said, "The kids would just say, well, he's mean, he tells us to shut-up."
Some of the complaints came from co-workers. The defense asked, "And, those complaints, generally, were that they were afraid of him?" And Brace said, "Yes"
Brace says Foster was calm in the meeting, then left, only to return to Principal Luna's office a few minutes later.
Brace told the court, "I heard Mark say, 'You know all that stuff they said about me, I guess you should have listened.' And, Elisa screamed, and I heard a gunshot."
Brace testified Foster shot Luna a second time while she was on the floor, then turned for Brace. "He raised his gun up. He shot me in the head. I fell back. I was laying in the floor, and then the next thing I remember is he stepped over me, turned around, and shot me again."
Brace says she then crawled to the desk and called 9-1-1.
The defense asked Brace if she knew about Foster's history of mental illness, including being released from the military, and receiving social security for a time, for mental illness.
The defense also asked, "And were you aware that Mr. Foster has in fact been hospitalized for mental illness?" Brace said, "He had told us that he was hospitalized once for about 15 minutes."
Defense Attorney Mark Stephens talked with news reporters after the Preliminary Hearing. He could give details about Foster's mental illness history. But Stephens explained why that line of questioning came up, "If Mr. Foster suffers from mental disease, so as to preclude him from being able to premeditate, that would be an issues at his trial."
Foster is charged with two counts of attempted first degree murder.
The Judge bound the case over to the Grand Jury.
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