90-year-old Maplewood man fatally shoots son, calls police

MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (KMSP) - Maplewood police said a 90-year-old father fatally shot his son on Saturday evening, and he called himself in to report it. It's unclear at this time if the shooting was intentional.

At 7:41 p.m., officials responded to the 1200 block of Hilltop Court after Kenneth Bowser called police to report that he shot and killed his 65-year-old son Larry Bowser at the home where they both lived.

Officers called into the residence and asked Kenneth to come outside, where they took him into custody without incident. Kenneth was found inside the home with an apparent gunshot wound.

According to neighbor Eric Schmitz, Larry was taking care of his father who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

"He's been ill for quite a few months, in and out of transitional care," Schmitz said.

“The focus of investigators at this point is to determine exactly what prompted this tragic shooting,” said Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell. “In addition to providing answers to family members and the criminal justice system, we hope to explore potential strategies to intervene in such cases to prevent lethal acts of intra-familial violence,” he added.

Kenneth was booked into Ramsey County Jail on suspicion of homicide. Investigators will present their preliminary findings to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office on Monday.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was called in to process evidence at the scene. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will be performing an autopsy to officially determine the manner and cause of death.

Police say the 90-year-old is cooperating with investigators.