Erbie Bowser In Custody After Allegedly Killing Four And Leaving Four Injured In Texas Shootings

Erbie Bowser, an Army veteran and former Dallas Mavericks ManiAAC, has been arrested for the Dallas-area shootings that left four dead and four wounded on Wednesday.

Bowser is allegedly responsible for two shootings, one that took place at his ex-girlfriend’s home in Dallas, and one that took place at his ex-wife’s home in DeSoto, a town just outside of Dallas, where he was eventually arrested.

The Dallas shootings resulted in the death of Bowser’s ex, Toya Smith and her 17-year-old daughter, Tasmia Allen. Smith’s son, Storm Malone, 14, was also shot, according to reports, and is currently in critical condition. Bowser also injured a 17-year-old family friend, Dasmin Mitchell, who is in recovery after surgery and was able to aid the police in identifying Bowser as a suspect, according to reports.

Police were called to Smith’s home by her mother who had been on the phone with her daughter at the time of the attack.

“After the conversation she called back and didn’t get an answer and proceeded to gather family members to go to the location, and when she arrived at the house she called 9-1-1. She went inside the house and found the victims,” Dallas Police officer Monica Cordova told The Daily Beast.

Dallas Police then determined that Bowser had left for DeSoto to pay a visit to his ex-wife and contacted the DeSoto Police Department. Just then, DeSoto PD received an emergency call from one of the injured children at Bowser’s ex-wife’s home. By the time police arrived at Zina Teal Bowser’s home, she was already dead.

Bowser allegedly set off an explosive device inside the home before he opened fire, killing Zina Teal Bowser and her 28-year-old daughter, Neima Williams, and leaving two boys, 11 and 13, injured. Police arrived to the scene and found Bowser reportedly pretending to be one of the injured. ABC News has reported that the explosive device was a hand grenade; however, investigations are still ongoing.

Though Bowser remains in police custody, the charges brought against him are not yet finalized in Dallas. He will be charged with two counts of capital murder for his alleged crimes in DeSoto.

Zina Teal Bowser was reportedly granted a protective order against Bowser in February 2011, and court documents reveal that she alleged that Bowser had threatened her life and her children in the past.

Bowser is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1991 to 2000. After leaving the service, he worked as a special education teacher until he resigned in 2010.

“He was described as a gentle giant. He was soft spoken and an extremely kind individual. What a surprise it is. It’s just awful. We were just shocked to hear it today,” Laura Jobe, a former co-worker from Bowser’s days as a teacher, said according to The Daily Beast.

He was also a dancer in the Dallas Mavericks ManiAACs, a group of big men who perform entertaining hip-hop dance routines at Dallas Mavericks games, until 2009. To Mavs ManiAACs fans, Bowser was known as "E-Luv."

The Dallas Mavs ManiAACs performing on March 17, 2012.

– Olivia Truffaut-Wong

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