Two people shot at UW

A woman shot to death on the University of Washington campus Monday morning had lived in mortal fear for weeks about a man who was stalking her, her friends and co-workers said.

Her attacker killed himself after killing the woman, police said. The woman, whom friends and court records identified as Rebecca Griego, had recently taken out a court order against her ex-boyfriend who would ultimately shoot her to death.

Jonathan Rowan, 41, had repeatedly threatened her. On March 7 -- a day after Griego sought court protection from him -- and again on March 14, he called her at work and threatend to kill her, said UW Assistant Police Chief Ray Wittmier. He said Griego told UW police about the threats, but didn't seek charges of telephone harassment against Rowan.

Griego had changed her telephone numbers, moved a couple of times and e-mailed to co-workers in the UW's real estate program a description and photograph of her stalker, said Lance Nguyen, a graduate student in urban planning who worked with the woman. Griego worked in the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the UW.

"She was visually shaken and scared," said Nguyen. He said the man had threatened to harm her and her family.

Griego had, at times, worked from home because she was afraid to come to work. She also had considered riding her bike to work so she could vary her route, Nguyen said.

She had lived with Rowan as recently as January, according to a court petition Griego filed March 6. She described him as a suicidal alcoholic who had tackled and punched her when they lived together.

"I forgave him because he was drunk, but now I see that was wrong, and he has threatened to hurt me again."

She said he had also threatened her dog and her family.

A judge issued the order, but he couldn't be served on Rowan. He couldn't be found.

But he could find Griego. "He is now on the run," she wrote in court papers. "He robbed his current roommates this morning and called me to tell me I cannot find him, but he can find me and knows my place of work and to look over my shoulder because I would see him again."

Griego's sister, Rachel, also sought got a protection order against the man, according to court records.

Wittmier said. nothing might have been able to prevent the shooting.

"It's unpredictable what people will do," Wittmier said.

The shooting occurred a little after 9 a.m. at a fourth-floor office in Gould Hall, which houses the architecture department, as well as other programs.

Wittmier said officers recovered a gun, which likely belonged to one of the victims. It was a six-shot revolver, and all six shots were fired Monday morning.

Students were in the building and filing in for classes when they heard loud noises. Witnesses said they didn't at first realize the noises were gunshots.

Nguyen said he was in a law class on the first floor when he heard four shots: "I thought it was just somebody pounding on the furniture."

Student Rick Martell-Scott said he entered the building around 9:20 and saw another student on the staircase looking frightened. "A lot of people didn't understand what was going on, so it was pretty calm," Martell-Scott said. "But I turned around and saw four cops with their guns drawn go upstairs."

Classes that were in progress continued.

The Monday incident recalled frightening memories for some in the UW community who were there in June 2000 when a medical resident, about to be fired, fatally shot his supervisor before turning the gun on himself.

The gunman, Dr. Jian Chen, a medical resident of one year, had come from medical school in Shanghai to work at the UW Medical Center, but was apparently having trouble succeeding because of language barriers. His victim, Dr. Rodger Haggitt, was a world-renowned gastrointestinal pathologist.

All classes in Gould Hall have been canceled, but regular schedules remain for the rest of the campus.

"It's a tragedy," said Eric Godfrey, vice provost for student affairs. He said the university would make counseling available for students and faculty who need to talk about the incident.

More details to come...