By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 10:45 EST, 25 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:31 EST, 25 March 2013 . A man chased and gunned down his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend in her car before barricading himself in his home and taking his own life as a SWAT team swarmed outside. Kaitlin Gerber, 20, was followed by her ex-boyfriend Jashua Prez, 29, as she drove to work in Toledo, Ohio and, as he shot at her, she crashed her car in a parking lot. Authorities are uncertain whether she had been shot before crashing her car, but said that Prez approached the stopped vehicle and fired several more times. Prez then fled south to his home in Maumee and barricaded himself inside as a SWAT team gathered outside the property. Horror: Jashua Prez, left, chased his ex-girlfriend Kaitlin Gerber, right, as she drove to work and shot at her, causing her to crash her car. He then went over to her vehicle and shot her several more times . Crisis negotiators spoke with him by phone for several hours, and at some points he indicated that he was going to emerge, the Toledo Blade reported. But when a SWAT team forced their way into his home shortly before 5 p.m. on Sunday, they found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Gerber's family said her death was the culmination of months of stalking, threats and harassment by Prez, whom she had met while working in a restaurant ahead of applying to college. When their relationship turned sour . last year, she was forced to dye her hair so Prez would not recognise . her, and after he sent her reams of letters to her workplace, she . contacted authorities. Scene: He then barricaded himself in his Ohio home, pictured, as SWAT team members arrived . Fraught: After a five-hour stand off, the SWAT team entered the home and found Prez dead . But her father, Jeff Gerber, believes they did not do enough to help her. He said they reported an incident where Prez turned up at her workplace and threatened to kill her with a knife. She later  obtained a restraining order against him. He was charged on February 6 with four misdemeanor counts of violating the order after he continued to call and write to his ex-girlfriend. But the cases were dismissed three weeks later on the recommendation of the prosecutor's office. 'This guy was in jail for violent . behavior and he broke a protection order,' he said. 'He was a monster. A . real monster. The criminal justice system has completely disappointed . us.' The family said that, on the day of . the murder-suicide, Miss Gerber had seen Prez's car outside her home on . Sunday and when she started driving to work, he began following her. Fears: Gerber, 20, had previously contacted authorities with her concerns that Prez was stalking her . In hiding: She dyed her hair, changed her car and moved in with her parents as she tried to hide from Prez . 'She drove off to protect the rest of the . home,' her father said. 'He was a monster.' She frantically called 911 at 11.30 a.m. to report that an ex-boyfriend was chasing her in her car with a gun. Witnesses also called 911 to report that a man was shooting at a woman in a car. She came to a stop on the sidewalk outside a shopping center. Prez drove up to her car and fired several more rounds, Steve Kahle, a Lucas County Coroner’s Office investigator, said. When officers reached her, she was dead from the gunshot wounds. 'It's a very sad situation,' Sergeant Heffernan said. 'It is unusual to have somebody being chased through the streets getting fired at. It’s just sad to see this young lady had to lose her life in this manner. It's just a tragedy.' Loss: She was remembered as an ambitious young woman who hoped to attend the University of Toledo . Police tracked the vehicle to Prez's nearby home and SWAT team members were sent to the address, where they administered tear gas. But when they gained access to the house, he had killed himself. 'I think it did go well in regard to the fact that no police officers were injured, no citizens, and no other threats were posted to the community at large,' Maumee Police Lt. Jeff Siebenaler told the Blade. 'It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did, but the reality is, that's his decision.' Miss Gerber worked at a car dealership and a restaurant and was hoping to attend the University of Toledo to study either pharmacology or chemical engineering, her father said.
Jashua Prez shot at Kaitlin Gerber as she drove to work in Toledo, Ohio .
When she crashed he pulled along side her vehicle and shot again .
He fled to his home and barricaded himself inside before taking his life .
Killing 'came after Prez stalked and threatened Gerber for months'
By . Lydia Warren . PUBLISHED: . 10:45 EST, 25 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 12:31 EST, 25 March 2013 . A man chased and gunned down his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend in her car before barricading himself in his home and taking his own life as a SWAT team swarmed outside. Kaitlin Gerber, 20, was followed by her ex-boyfriend Jashua Prez, 29, as she drove to work in Toledo, Ohio and, as he shot at her, she crashed her car in a parking lot. Authorities are uncertain whether she had been shot before crashing her car, but said that Prez approached the stopped vehicle and fired several more times. Prez then fled south to his home in Maumee and barricaded himself inside as a SWAT team gathered outside the property. Horror: Jashua Prez, left, chased his ex-girlfriend Kaitlin Gerber, right, as she drove to work and shot at her, causing her to crash her car. He then went over to her vehicle and shot her several more times . Crisis negotiators spoke with him by phone for several hours, and at some points he indicated that he was going to emerge, the Toledo Blade reported. But when a SWAT team forced their way into his home shortly before 5 p.m. on Sunday, they found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Gerber's family said her death was the culmination of months of stalking, threats and harassment by Prez, whom she had met while working in a restaurant ahead of applying to college. When their relationship turned sour . last year, she was forced to dye her hair so Prez would not recognise . her, and after he sent her reams of letters to her workplace, she . contacted authorities. Scene: He then barricaded himself in his Ohio home, pictured, as SWAT team members arrived . Fraught: After a five-hour stand off, the SWAT team entered the home and found Prez dead . But her father, Jeff Gerber, believes they did not do enough to help her. He said they reported an incident where Prez turned up at her workplace and threatened to kill her with a knife. She later  obtained a restraining order against him. He was charged on February 6 with four misdemeanor counts of violating the order after he continued to call and write to his ex-girlfriend. But the cases were dismissed three weeks later on the recommendation of the prosecutor's office. 'This guy was in jail for violent . behavior and he broke a protection order,' he said. 'He was a monster. A . real monster. The criminal justice system has completely disappointed . us.' The family said that, on the day of . the murder-suicide, Miss Gerber had seen Prez's car outside her home on . Sunday and when she started driving to work, he began following her. Fears: Gerber, 20, had previously contacted authorities with her concerns that Prez was stalking her . In hiding: She dyed her hair, changed her car and moved in with her parents as she tried to hide from Prez . 'She drove off to protect the rest of the . home,' her father said. 'He was a monster.' She frantically called 911 at 11.30 a.m. to report that an ex-boyfriend was chasing her in her car with a gun. Witnesses also called 911 to report that a man was shooting at a woman in a car. She came to a stop on the sidewalk outside a shopping center. Prez drove up to her car and fired several more rounds, Steve Kahle, a Lucas County Coroner’s Office investigator, said. When officers reached her, she was dead from the gunshot wounds. 'It's a very sad situation,' Sergeant Heffernan said. 'It is unusual to have somebody being chased through the streets getting fired at. It’s just sad to see this young lady had to lose her life in this manner. It's just a tragedy.' Loss: She was remembered as an ambitious young woman who hoped to attend the University of Toledo . Police tracked the vehicle to Prez's nearby home and SWAT team members were sent to the address, where they administered tear gas. But when they gained access to the house, he had killed himself. 'I think it did go well in regard to the fact that no police officers were injured, no citizens, and no other threats were posted to the community at large,' Maumee Police Lt. Jeff Siebenaler told the Blade. 'It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did, but the reality is, that's his decision.' Miss Gerber worked at a car dealership and a restaurant and was hoping to attend the University of Toledo to study either pharmacology or chemical engineering, her father said.
barricading himself in his home and taking his Jashua Prez, 29, as she drove to work in Toledo, Ohio and, as he shot at her, she crashed her car fled south to his home in Maumee and barricaded his ex-girlfriend Kaitlin Gerber, right, as she