At Least 4 Dead in Dallas-Area Shootings

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Associated Press


A series of shootings in the Dallas area killed at least four people and wounded others, but authorities said early Thursday that a suspect was in custody.

Police were first called to a home in southwest Dallas around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday where they found four gunshot victims, two of whom had died, Dallas police Sgt. Warren Mitchell told media outlets.

The suspect in that shooting fled to nearby DeSoto, where he was involved in another shooting, Mitchell said.

At the second location, four other people were shot, with two of them dying, DeSoto police Cpl. Melissa Franks said.

Franks said police took the suspect into custody at the scene of the second shooting. Authorities said the suspect is a male but have not released any other information about him.

[Jezter]

Update: Ex-Mesquite teacher, Mavs ManiAAC accused of killing four, wounding four in shooting rampage in Dallas, DeSoto

Authorities say a grenade-wielding man went on a shooting rampage in Dallas and DeSoto late Wednesday, killing four people and wounding four others.

The suspect has been identified as Erbie Bowser, 44. Authorities say it appears he was trying to kill a former girlfriend and his estranged wife. It is believed both are among the victims.


Officials say the rampage began about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in Dallas at a home in the 7100 block of Long Canyon Trail, near West Wheatland Road and Mountain Creek Parkway. He killed two people and wounded two others there, police said.

Toya Smith, 43, and Tasmia Allen, 17, both died at the scene. Two others were transported to a local hospital in critical condition, according to police reports.

Bowser then went to a home in the 100 block of Galleria Drive in DeSoto, where he threw a hand grenade into the living room before shooting and killing two women, police said. He also wounded two boys, ages 11 and 13, before he run out of bullets, according to police.

A 3-year-old child in the DeSoto home appeared to be unhurt and was turned over to Child Protective Services, police said.

When DeSoto officers arrived, Bowser pretended to be among the victims and seemed catatonic, giving only his name, supposed rank and a serial number. Authorities say Bowser has tattoos indicating he may have been an Army Ranger, but court records suggest he was not a member of the armed forces.

Officers quickly determined he was their suspect and took him into custody. Officers also confiscated a pocket knife from him.


Authorities say Bowser was previously arrested for violating a protective order and evading arrest. Records show that occurred in December 2011. Records also show he was arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

That protective order was ordered by the associate judge presiding over Bowser’s divorce — his second – in 2011.

Court records show that on February 3, 2011, a judge wrote that “family violence has occured [sic] and is likely to occur in the future.” The protective order was granted for a year, and Bowser was ordered to get his then-wife’s “wedding ring and tennis bracelet from pawn shops” within two weeks.

According to Laura Jobe, administrative officer for the Mesquite ISD, Erbie Bowser worked for the district as a special education teacher from Dec. 10, 2001, to March 1, 2010, when he resigned “on good terms.” She did not know where Bowser went to work from there.

Jobe said that Bowser taught at Berry Middle School and at Mesquite Academy. She also said that at some point during his employment with the district, Bowser served as a volunteer football coach at West Mesquite High School, where he taught special education.

Jobe did not personally know Bowser but said that she spoke another district employee who had worked with Bowser.

“From what I understand, he was a very likeable guy,” Jobe said. “He was described to me as a gentle giant; never anything violent about him. In fact, just the opposite.”

He is also a former Mavs ManiAACs dancer, and according to a 2011 bio on the group’s website, Bowser is 6-foot-7 and weighs almost 400 pounds. He said he was a special education teacher in the post and went by the nickname E-Luv.

Several family members of the victims in the DeSoto home gathered around the house Thursday morning waiting for confirmation on what happened. Verniece Cridell, an aunt of the shooting victims, said she rushed to the house as soon as she heard Bowser’s name on the news.

As events were unfolding in DeSoto, Dallas police had received a tip about the suspect’s identity. They found out about the DeSoto residence while checking past addresses and were on their way there when they heard about the incident at the home, police said.

Before some relatives left the scene in Dallas to check on the hospitalized victims, they gathered with dozens of friends in the parking lot of Charles Acton Elementary School to pray.

Texas Rangers and officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are involved in the investigation.

Erbie Bowser in 2002 as a Mavs Maniaac
http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/files/2013/08/Erbie-Bowser-2002-Mavs-Maniaac.jpg

[redred]

:shock: he's a big old unit