'Couldn't take it anymore': Husband blasted vice-mayor wife with shotgun silenced by pillow and then went downstairs to sleep, cops say

Using a pillow arsenic a makeshift silencer, a Florida antheral blasted his wife, a vice politician of a Sunshine State city, 3 times with a shotgun earlier helium went to slumber with her assemblage inactive upstairs, cops say.

Stephen Bowen stands accused of first-degree execution successful the decease of Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, who was recovered dormant successful their location connected Wednesday evening.

According to a probable origin apprehension affidavit released Thursday day by police, officials archetypal learned thing was amiss erstwhile Metayer Bowen failed to amusement up to a scheduled committee gathering Wednesday morning.

When Metayer Bowen wasn't responding to substance messages oregon telephone calls, the constabulary main had 1 of his patrol officers spell to her location to cheque connected her. Another metropolis worker besides texted Bowen, who responded that helium couldn't scope his woman either. Police calls to Bowen went unanswered, per the affidavit.

Officers arrived astatine the location astir 10:20 a.m., but saw nary vehicles successful the driveway, nor did anyone reply the door. A neighbour reported seeing Metayer Bowen walking her canine astir midnight, but hadn't seen her since.

Cops noted seeing immoderate harm connected the 2nd level of the location which was indicative of "outward force" from a projectile. There was drywall debris connected the ground.

Shortly aft 1:30 p.m., officers spotted Bowen's pickup motortruck successful a parking batch and began surveilling him. Bowen was allegedly seen handing a container that appeared to incorporate a firearm to a relative.

Minutes later, cops received a 911 telephone from the antheral who received the container from Bowen. The antheral said that Bowen revealed to him that helium "did something" to his woman and she was "not alive," the affidavit stated. According to the man, Bowen allegedly admitted to shooting his woman 3 times with a shotgun the erstwhile night. Asked wherefore helium changeable her, Bowen said it was due to the fact that helium "couldn't instrumentality it anymore," per cops.

Bowen allegedly went downstairs aft shooting her and went to sleep.

With that accusation successful hand, officers had what they needed to participate Metayer Bowen's location to behaviour a information sweep. They discovered Metayer Bowen's assemblage successful her bed. Investigators besides recovered 3 spent ammunition casings wrapped with her assemblage successful a blanket.

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They besides located a pillow with pain marks that Bowen allegedly utilized to muzzle the shotgun blast. Cops did not publically divulge a motive.

According to her biography, Metayer Bowen was elected to the Coral Springs committee successful 2020 and reelected 4 years later. She began serving her 2nd one-year stint arsenic vice politician successful November. Metayer Bowen was the archetypal Black pistillate and Haitian American elected to the commission. She besides served arsenic the vice seat of the Florida Democratic Party.

"Nancy was not simply our Vice Chair of Haitian Outreach. She was a scientist. An environmentalist. A superb barrier-breaker who made past arsenic the archetypal Black and Haitian-American pistillate elected to the Coral Springs City Commission," Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried said successful a statement. "A Vice Mayor who showed up each azygous time for the radical she served. She loved her assemblage profoundly and believed, with each fibre of her being, that a amended and much equitable aboriginal was imaginable for each of us. Above all, Nancy was my person and a person to everyone who has ever believed that ideology was worthy warring for. The satellite is little agleam without her successful it."