SPRING, Texas – Investigators said Friday it is still unclear why a suspect in a Mississippi murder came to Spring, where he and another man were found dead in an apartment after an hourslong manhunt.
Authorities began searching Thursday night for 52-year-old Roderick Bowers in the area of Harmony Park Crossing and Rayford Road. He pointed a gun at officers trying to arrest him before fleeing, authorities said.
About midnight, teams closed in on Bowers at the Harmony Park Apartment complex, set up a perimeter and tried to get him to exit the apartment in which he was holed up. After a half-hour, authorities tried to enter the apartment and heard three gunshots as they did.
Bowers and 52-year-old John Mohr were later found dead in the apartment, investigators said.
What Bowers was accused of in Mississippi
Bowers was wanted on homicide, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated domestic violence charges from Gulfport, Mississippi, officials said.
Investigators there said Bowers was accused of kidnapping the mother of his child and later shooting her in the hand when he saw her sitting in the car with another man. Bowers was also accused of killing the man that was in the car with the mother of his child.
Bowers unconnected to Mohr
Investigators said they believe Mohr had absolutely no connection to Bowers, and that Bowers stormed into Mohr’s apartment to hide from authorities.
Investigators said they believe Bowers killed Mohr and then committed suicide as a SWAT team was about to enter the apartment.
Who was Mohr?
Mohr was a father of four and an employee of Exxon-Mobil, family members said. He had been transferred back to the Houston area from Midland. His family was planning to join him after their home in Midland was sold, family members said.
What residents are saying
People who live at the Harmony Park complex said the area is very safe.
Emily Bourgoyne said she was coming home about the same time that Bowers ran to the apartments.
“What if he would have stopped at the first door? And he would have because it was unlocked,” Bourgoyne said.
