Erbie Bowser, a former Dallas Mavericks ManiAACs dancer, was named the prime suspect in the shooting deaths of four people in Dallas and DeSoto, Texas, according to reports. It was also reported that he had a grenade on him.
The shootings took place in two different areas, and also injured four people, police told NBC DFW.
Police said that Bowser, who was part of the all-male dance team ManiAACs, is being held at the DeSoto Jail and is awaiting charges. He was listed on the Mavericks page last season, and it said he was a special education teacher.
Police did not elaborate on his relationship with the victims.
The Dallas Morning News reported that Bowser apparently was trying to kill a former girlfriend and his estranged wife. The paper reported that it is likely that both were among those killed.
The shooting rampage started in Dallas in a home, where two people were killed and two were injured. Toya Smith, 43, and Tasmia Allen, 17, were killed on the scene.
Later, Bowser went to another home in DeSoto and threw a hand grenade into a living room before shooting and killing two women and wounding two boys, ages 11 and 13.
Cpl. Melissa Franks said officers were deployed quickly and detained Bowser, which “saved lives,” reported CBS Dallas.
“We thought it was coming from upstairs, because the kids are always upstairs making noise,” a neighbor, Tommy Johnson, told NBC DFW. “I went up and asked, `Did y‘all hear anything?’ and one of my daughters said it came from outside. So I peeped out the front and that’s when I saw a bunch of officers walking down the sidewalk and about 10 houses up.”
Friends Read Free