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Family of Man Shot by Police Say Killing Was UnnecessaryAs in all officer-involved shootings, state investigation is underwayRelated Content
ANCHORAGE - The death of a 25-year-old man is at the center of a state investigation into whether Anchorage police were justified in their use of deadly force. But to Trena Thompson, Carl Bowie III was her son. In an emailed statement, she said, "I know the world sees this 25-yr-old man with tattoos and a criminal record and conclude that he is a menace. I understand, but my son has never hurt anyone and was never violent." Police say Bowie was violent. He led them on a pursuit that ended at a near the intersection of 53rd Street and Windflower. Officers used their cars to pin his vehicle. In an interview after the shooting on Tuesday, Police Chief Mark Mew said, "The implications suggest the officers were being rammed and were in danger of being killed or injured themselves." Police fired seven rounds after they say Bowie hit two patrol cars. Three of those bullets struck him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His family says the shooting was unjust. His mother wrote, "Yes he was my son, it is hard to be objective. He stole a truck and made some bad choices but he was ready to give himself up and he did not deserve to be shot to death." She apologized to the neighbors at the scene and the owner of the stolen truck. Bowie leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. Bowie's aunt wrote in an email that the girl heard about her father's death from a newscast. In an interview on Thursday, Chief Mew said he didn't know about Bowie's kids. "Naturally, we don't like taking anybody's life. We regret the necessity to do so. I don't know that I can say more right now without explaining, I'd have to explain what happened and we're not quite at a place where we can explain what happened yet.” |
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TedtheBear said on Sunday, Feb 24 at 8:36 AM
This mother is just one of so many parents whose off springs turned out to be a criminal and yet defend that criminal as a good person. I supposed that is a natural thing for a mother to do. Many criminals are fathers, brothers, sons of good parents but they are often, never as their parents paint them to be. Mr. Bowie from the news report, clearly threatened the lives of law enforcement officers and that make shooting him totally justified.
114390612Hope in Alaska said on Sunday, Feb 24 at 10:56 AM
Nobody in this world is perfect, people make mistakes, that doesn't make them a bad people. Good people sometimes do bad things. No one is without sin. He was struggling with an addiction and did some things he normally wouldn't do, he made mistakes yes, but did not deserve to pay with his life for them. There are other ways to detain an individual without using lethal force. He was a good person with a huge heart, he was funny, he was giving, he silly, he loved to make people smile and he did love his family very dearly. It is my hope that there are more programs in Alaska to help people who are struggling with addition. He did reach out for help, and the kind of help he needed wasn't available. I guess the 18 month waiting list was just too long. If we helped people who needed it we wouldn't have these kinds of problems.
114400041cc said on Sunday, Feb 24 at 9:09 PM
The tires were not shredded. The truck did not hit the garage door or the fence. I live two doors down. If it would have happened 20 seconds later, my wife was headed to take out the mail. A group of mailboxes 1 up was mowed down, made with cement posts. This is a dangerous hill and most everyone drives too fast down it. Filled with kids. Over the years my vans have been hit 3 times, my tree mowed down & the mailbox posts replaced many times. Not just in the winter either. My neighbors garage doors smashed & their cars hit too. People slow down and the city should address this problem. Only once was someone caught, because she was stuck, everyone else never even left a note. Real stand up citizens of this town, Leaving it to me to deal with the damage. This is a well known route that connects to the frontage road The Police know this but somehow the chief didn't. I'd call armed robbery violent. Mom, you haven't been to my door yet.
114430081Dave said on Monday, Feb 25 at 12:36 PM
Those who live by the sword....
114499771TedtheBear said on Tuesday, Feb 26 at 1:00 PM
When you threatened the lives of others, you crossed the line. There can be no excuse for such behavior. Some mistakes are paid for by your lives. It happened every day in our nation. If you drive drunk and go off the road and died, its a mistake you pay for with your life. If you are cleaning your gun and stupid enough not to see if it was loaded and it goes off when you are staring down the barrel, you paid for it with your life. If you threatened law enforcement officers with a stolen truck, you paid for it with your life. Life is full of mistakes!
114620961John said on Wednesday, May 8 at 3:12 PM
A motor vehicle is a deadly weapon when it is used in a manner that could or does reasonably inflict serious injury or death on police officers or the public (anyone). Police can and do use deadly force to protect themselves from death or serious injury. The remark about better means to detain is uninformed, ridiculous and plain dumb, by an obvious anarchistic mindset that hates law enforcement. Of COURSE his parents say he should still be alive, stoned, stealing vehicles, endangering the motoring public and if he ran down a few cops, that is the price we must all pay to keep a murderous drug-impaired animal and his denial-consumed parents happy. This refusal to accept responsibility by the parent shows what probably led to his drug problem to begin with: weak, excuse-making and enabling parents who blame everyone but the man himself and their poor parenting. He played with matches and he got burned. Sean Connery said in The Untouchables: You finished your shift alive. Next topic?
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