Suspect who allegedly shot at mother, sparking soft lockdown at school, has been arrested

BOWMAN

FINAL UPDATE: After eluding police for more than 12 hours, Brady Bowman has been arrested.

Whitley County Sheriff Bill Elliotte confirmed that Bowman was apprehended just after 11 p.m. Friday.

“He was up in the mountains in a tree stand. [Kentucky State Police’s] helicopter detected heat coming from it and our deputies and troopers used ATV to get to him,” said Elliotte.

Bowman faces a charge of first-degree wanton endangerment for allegedly shooting a firearm at his mother in her home Friday morning, though additional charges are expected.

The search and subsequent arrest was a joint effort between the sheriff’s department, KSP and the Williamsburg Police Department.

“The agencies worked together and that’s what led to the successful ending,” said Elliotte.

For more details and a full story, see the Jan. 11 edition of the News Journal.

SECOND UPDATE: Police have released a photo of the man multiple law enforcement agencies have been searching for since Friday morning, who they have said is considered “armed and dangerous.”

The Whitley County Sheriff’s Department posted the photo of Brady Bowman, 25, to their Facebook page Friday evening as part of a news release. In the release, the department warns the public to not approach Bowman as he could potentially be armed.

Friday morning, Whitley County Sheriff Bill Elliotte stated that Bowman had been armed with an AR-15 rifle and a pistol during the initial incident with his mother that led to her contacting police and sparked a soft lockdown at the nearby Pleasant View Elementary School.

The sheriff’s department and Kentucky State Police are currently still continuing their search for Bowman.

Anyone with information regarding him or his whereabouts are being asked to contact the sheriff’s department at (606) 549-6006 or Kentucky State Police Post 11 at (606) 878-6622.

UPDATE: Several law enforcement agencies are currently searching for a man who allegedly shot at his mother inside a residence during a domestic dispute Friday morning in the Pleasant View community.

According to Whitley County Sheriff Bill Elliotte, the mother was able to get to a neighbor’s house to call 911, in which Elliotte and a sheriff’s deputy responded to.

“He was supposed to be in her residence, so we set up a perimeter until I could get some more of my officers called out,” said Elliotte.

Once backup arrived, an arrest warrant and search warrants were obtained for the home. Police also pinged the suspect’s phone in order to help determine if he was still in the home. Elliotte said the suspect, who he identified as Brady Bowman, was armed with an AR-15 rifle and a pistol, so police were taking precautions before attempting to enter the home.

Police were soon provided information from a nearby witness who said that Bowman fled from the residence when he saw law enforcement vehicles and ran from the home on foot. Police entered the home and determined that Bowman was not there.

Due to not knowing Bowman’s location, the nearby Pleasant View Elementary School was placed on a soft lockdown to prevent students from exiting the building.

As of 1:05 p.m. Friday, Bowman’s location was still unknown.

Elliotte said that units with both the sheriff’s department and Kentucky State Police are patrolling the area around the school and that additional units will be present when school releases for the day.

Anyone with information regarding Bowman or his whereabouts are being asked to contact the sheriff’s department at (606) 549-6006 or Kentucky State Police Post 11 at (606) 878-6622.

ORIGINAL STORY: Pleasant View Elementary School has been placed on a soft lockdown due to a domestic issue involving a firearm within the vicinity of the school.

A message was sent out to parents at approximately 11:10 a.m. Friday through the school district’s One Call system regarding the soft lockdown, in which Whitley County Superintendent John Siler said that nothing has occurred at the school and no student was in danger, noting that it was initiated merely “out of an abundance of caution.”

“The decision to do a soft lockdown was to ensure that our students and staff remain safe,” said Siler in the message.

The News Journal reached out to Siler for additional details just before noon. According to Siler, a school resource officer and a Whitley County Sheriff’s deputy have been placed outside the school as an added precautionary measure.

Siler also stressed that there are major differences between a traditional lockdown and a soft lockdown, in that with a traditional lockdown students would be confined to the rooms they were in at the time the decision was made and there would be no movement throughout the school building. With a soft lockdown, the student’s day proceeds mostly as normal, with restrictions only being made for recess and other outdoor activities.

“Our kids are still going to the cafereria and eating lunch and stuff like that. They just won’t be going outside the building right now,” said Siler.

The soft lockdown was still in effect as of noon.

An attempt was made to contact Whitley County Sheriff Bill Elliotte for additional details regarding the domestic issue that caused the soft lockdown, though he was not able to speak on the incident at the time.

This is a developing story. More details will be added as they are known.