HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 09-13 90-Year old who fatally shot son in Maplewood said to have Alzheimer's STAR TRIBUNE EAST METRO
90-year-old who fatally shot son in
Maplewood said to have Alzheimer's
They shared Maplewood home;victim had spoken of his dad's
dementia.
By Pat Pheifer(http://www.startribune.com/pat-pheifer/10645666/)and Paul Walsh
(http://www.startribune.com/paul-walsh/10646171/)Star Tribune staff writers
SEPTEMBER 13,2015—9:07PM
Neighbors on a quiet cul-de-sac in Maplewood had not seen 90-year-old Ken Bowser in
the past couple of months.
But his eldest son,Larry Bowser,65,who had lived with his dad for at least a decade,
told them that his father was suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Neither neighbors nor a family member Imew what prompted Ken Bowser to fatally
shoot Larry about 7:40 p.m.Saturday at their house in the 1200 block of Hilltop Court.
After the shooting,Ken Bowser called 911 and waited for police.Officers at the scene
told Bowser to come outside,where they apprehended him without incident,said
Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell.
Larry Bowser was shot once,and a handgun was recovered,Schnell added.
Sandy Jacobs,who's lived in the other half of the Bowsers'twin home for 12 years,said
she heard a single gunshot Saturday evening but no argument or scuffle preceding it.She
didn't ca11911,thinking perhaps she had heard fireworks.
When she noticed the police lights and sirens,though,she knew it had been a gunshot.
Jacobs said she had heard Ken Bowser griping to his son once in a while,but nothing
violent or constant,she said.
Schnell said"there's still some confusion"about what led to the shooting.`°Phere is no
indication that there was violence that precipitated the situation." �
`°I'he focus of investigators,at this point,is to determine exactly what prompted this,"
Schnell said."In addition to providing answers...we hope to explore potential strategies
to intervene in such cases to prevent lethal acts of intra-familial violence,"he added.
Schnell said investigators will forward their findings to the Ramsey County attorney's
office on Monday for consideration of charges.In the meantime,Ken Bowser remains
jailed without bail.
A judge on Monday will likely order an exam done by a psychiatrist that will determine
whether Bowser is competent to appear in court and enter a plea.
A neighborly cul-de-sac
Hilltop Court is a short block of mostly twin homes,just east of Hwy.61 and south of
County Road C,where neighbors sit in lawn chairs outside their gazages and often cross
the street or their well-kept lawns to chat.
Craig St.Sauver,his wife and their three children moved into the right side of the twin
home next door to the Bowsers a year ago.In the left side is Paul Johnson,a retired
sketch artist with the state Bureau of Criininal Apprehension who's lived in the area for
all of his 74 years.
St.Sauver said he and Larry Bowser talked sports,but Bowser had told him his father
was sick.When St.Sauver would see Bowser shoveling snow,he'd tell him that he'd fire
up his snowblower and do it for him.
Johnson said Larry Bowser would tallc about his dad,telling him,"IYs not good,not
good,really getting bad.
"He says,`I don't know what to do,"'Johnson said.When neighbors suggested putting
the elder Bowser in a care facility,the son said his dad"won't have any part of it."
The neighbors said Ken Bowser's two daughters stopped by the house every other day or
so.Efforts to reach the women Sunday were unsuccessful.
Ken Bowser owned his half of the twin home.Johnson said he'd paid cash for the house
after selling a big parcel of property near County Road D to developers.Larry had lived
there for years,with his brother Mike living there on and off.
`Maybe something snapped'
A family friend brought Mike Bowser,60,to the house Sunday afternoon.They circled
the property,which was sealed by police,but didn't go in.
"No clue,"Mike Bowser said when asked what happened."I don't Imow what the
situation was.My dad's old,maybe something snapped." �
Neighbors said Larry Bowser worked in the Home Improvement Building at the State
Fair every year selling carpeting and flooring.They spoke of Larry Bowser as a friendly
guy who was always willing to lend a hand.
Although homicides committed by people as old as Ken Bowser are exceedingly rare, �
according to a CNN report from 2011,5 to 10 percent of Alzheimer's patients become
violent at some point during the progression of the disease.
"If you don't understand whaYs happening because your brain is not functioning,it can
be scary,"Beth Kallmeyer,senior director of constituent services at the Alzheimer's
Association told CNN."You might act out,become agitated or violent."
�
None of the neighbors Sunday knew where Ken Bowser might have gotten a loaded
handgun.
About 18 months ago,also in Maplewood,an 84-year-old man shot and killed his 36-
year-old son.Pang Se Vang pleaded gullty to second-degree murder and died in jail in
October 2014,one week before he was to be sentenced.
!
Vang told his pastor on the morning of the shooting that he was upset because his son
would not install cable television in the home.
ppheifer@startribune.com 952-746-3284
pwalsh@startribune.com 612-673-4482