Who was Dominique Bowers? Navy vet allegedly shot dead by son, 13, who then dialed 911
WARNER ROBINS, GEORGIA: A 37-year-old Navy veteran was allegedly shot and killed by her 13-year-old son in a harrowing incident in Georgia. According to the police, after the teen fatally shot his mother, he dialed 911. In an update on the case posted on the Facebook page of the Warner Robins Police Department, the victim was identified as Dominique Bowers.
"Dominique Bowers, (37 yoa) of Warner Robins, is identified as the victim of homicide that occurred yesterday on Adirondac Way. Ms. Bowers is the mother of the 13-year-old juvenile that was taken in to custody. The juvenile is charged with Murder and Aggravated Assault. A first appearance with the juvenile was held this morning at the Houston County Superior Court. The juvenile is being held in the Crisp County Youth Detention Center," the statement said. Some of the other veterans who have recently made headlines include Norman Wilson, Anastasios Tsakos, Ashli Babbitt and Josh Laird.
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The original police report said that Bowers was found dead by officers in a Warner Robins home at about 1.30 pm on Friday, August 13, after officers received reports of shots fired. Officers were also advised that a Houston County emergency dispatcher was in contact with the accused teen, who could be a possible suspect in the case. After the suspect was apprehended by the police, the deceased navy veteran was discovered at her house. She had gunshot wounds and her identity was not immediately clear. At the time, the police had only said that the juvenile who was taken into custody by the Houston County Juvenile Division was in some way related to the victim.
Who was Dominique Bowers?
According to her Facebook page, Bowers was a former Builder Petty Officer 2nd Class in the US Navy. She had worked for the Virginia Department of Transportation after studying psychology at Roanoke College. She's a native New Yorker and moved to Bonaire in March 2020. She was engaged to be married on August 27 at the time of the shooting.
It is not known whether she shared the residence with her 13-year-old son, who is presently a suspect. It is also unclear as to what led to the shooting. An autopsy on the body is yet to be performed and the police have not released any details regarding the type of wounds sustained by the victim and the type of murder weapon used.
Teen will be prosecuted as adult
The teen is being held at the Crisp County Juvenile Detention Center. Warner Robins Chief John Wagner said that the photo and the identity of the juvenile will not be released. It was not immediately clear if he'd entered a plea or retained an attorney who might speak on his behalf.
The latest report said that the teen remains in a youth detention center and will be prosecuted as an adult. “Right now, we're just really looking at talking to family members and trying to understand what's going on, what was going on beforehand. We're looking to try and understand what might have led to this,” Sergeant Eric Gossman with Warner Robins Police Criminal Investigations unit said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, it's a tragic event."