West Seattle Crime Watch: Charges filed in Alki gunfire

That is WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli‘s photograph of police arresting 26-year-old Nicholas Jae Bowman early Sunday on Harbor Avenue SW, for allegedly shooting at people in the Alki business district. WSB policy is to usually not publish names/faces until someone is charged – and now, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office confirms, Bowman is charged in the case.

He is due in court April 11th to answer one count of second-degree assault. Court documents say it all started late Saturday night when several 911 callers reported a man pointing a gun at people outside the Bamboo Bar and Grill; he ran away, but then was seen driving in the area, and firing his gun at a man behind nearby Cactus Restaurant. No one was hit or hurt. A description of Bowman and his car enabled police to stop him a short time later (as we reported in ongoing Sunday morning coverage); court documents say he told them he had a .45-caliber handgun in his glove box, and officers found a .45 bullet and brass knuckles when they arrested him. Investigators say three guns, including a semiautomatic .45, are registered to Bowman. Prosecutors are asking that he be required to give them up while the case is pending. Though he has no known criminal history, they write, “his actions in the present case warrant extreme caution,” and that’s why they also are asking the court to keep his bail set at $100,000.

20 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Charges filed in Alki gunfire"

  • Alki Resident March 28, 2012 (5:13 pm)

    This is one of the reasons why I don’t go to Bamboo anymore. Shouldn’t he be charged with attempted murder since he was clearly pointing a gun and shooting it at someone?

  • ripper March 28, 2012 (5:42 pm)

    Throw the book @ this piece of s***.

  • Chuck & Sally's Van Man March 28, 2012 (6:17 pm)

    Total p u n k. No way they should let him keep the guns he had. For that matter, I hope he does not make bail so that this is even a question. I’m no proponent of gun control, merely enforcing the laws we have. He has recklessly threatened lives and is lucky he’s not in jail now for murder or manslaughter. Don’t give this punk his guns back!

  • Harry Reems March 28, 2012 (6:26 pm)

    Nice work SPD, I love to see cowards with guns under arrest.

  • schwaggy March 28, 2012 (8:54 pm)

    I clearly need to be educated as to why this isn’t attempted murder?

  • kong March 28, 2012 (8:58 pm)

    I don’t go to Bamboo anymore either. It’s full of thugs.

  • Here March 28, 2012 (10:03 pm)

    Seriously, brass knuckles?

  • resident March 28, 2012 (10:10 pm)

    Little, little, little man’s syndrome. What a complete tool. Supped up car, big gun, brass knuckles… What a little, little man you are. Oh… And he ran away.

  • Dylan March 28, 2012 (10:29 pm)

    just because you shoot at somebody doesn’t mean you’re trying to kill them. so why would it be attempted murder? brass knuckles? who cares?

  • Mike March 28, 2012 (11:29 pm)

    resident… it looks bone stock, that’s how the STi looks from the factory.

  • What The March 29, 2012 (12:03 am)

    Dylan…really? Maybe in some cultures it’s customary to shoot at each other out of love. Then punch them in the face… Hope this lil punk and his “factory” car get pounded/impounded.

  • phil dirt March 29, 2012 (5:37 am)

    Dylan —— You must be nuts!

  • Alki Resident March 29, 2012 (7:04 am)

    Dylan-Do you think he was just out testing his gum to see what happens when you shoot somebody?It sounds to me people are lucky to be alive that night with all his gun pointing he did.

  • schwaggy March 29, 2012 (10:53 am)

    I’m kinda thinking (hoping) Dylan is being sarcastic.

  • Bouncer March 29, 2012 (11:26 am)

    I don’t know this guy at all, but I suspect this kid wasn’t trying to be a punk or anything, I beleive he just snapped, with some possible external help (drugs or booze).
    .
    Obviously, this guy doesn’t make it a habit of acting crazy in the street, waving his gun around, and eventually shooting at people. If he did, he’d be in jail by now and we’d have heard about it.
    .
    More likely, he’s a guy who was a little on edge, who definitely made some bad choices (having a gun to protect yourself is one thing, but possessing brass knuckles is more difficult to explain away), who just snapped.
    .
    It happens. Look at Staff Sergeant Bales or Jet Blue Pilot Osbon. And much like those two, it seems clear that this guy’s instability precludes him from being trusted with any significant responsibility (possessing a gun, flying a plane, etc)

  • WMF March 29, 2012 (12:17 pm)

    The Bamboo is West Seattle Papa’s Pub. Just sayin…

  • waterworld March 29, 2012 (12:28 pm)

    Regarding the pending charge of second-degree assault: the King County Prosecutor’s office has detailed filing standards that guide the decision on how to charge a case. Prosecutors initially charge “conservatively,” sometimes to encourage an early plea, other times to allow for increasing the charge when additional evidence has been obtained. The prosecutor’s office prefers to start lower and increase the severity of the charge as evidence is developed during the investigation, rather than to start at the highest charge suggested by the early evidence and reduce the severity of the charges if the evidence ends up not supporting the original charge.
    .

    What strikes me as odd about charging second degree assault here is that the typical practice when someone intentionally fires a gun at another person is to charge assault in the first degree initially. If evidence develops showing that the defendant was in fact attempting to kill the person he was shooting at, then the charge would be increased to attempted murder. I don’t know why this case has been initially charged as assault in the second degree. It suggests that there is some uncertainty — about what, I have no idea and I wouldn’t want to speculate. Regardless, nothing (other than an immediate plea of guilty, which often is not possible) prevents the prosecutor from increasing the charge after more evidence is gathered.

  • Cowpie March 29, 2012 (2:30 pm)

    Dylan has a valid point. I remember taking military history at the UofW. I remember the teacher, who was a vet, said the ultimate goal was to shoot at the enemy and wound them, not kill them. It would mean their allies would need to stop shooting at you to take care of their wounded.
    So what I’m saying is, just because you’re shooting at someone doesn’t mean you’re always trying to kill them.

  • Snow Wimp March 29, 2012 (5:07 pm)

    Cowpie:

    Brilliant comment. The cops say the exact opposite. Shoot to kill. The punks? Who the heck knows what dem morons thinkin’.

    Wut i say is yous got ta goes back to scool, dude.

  • Terry March 29, 2012 (8:54 pm)

    sissy. No wonder he needed a gun.

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