Seattle Police have released bodycam footage from a February 12, 2026, officer-involved shooting in the Ballard neighborhood. The incident began with a 911 call from an 18-year-old woman reporting her 62-year-old ex-husband was following her and likely armed. Three officers responded. What happened next unfolded in seconds.
On February 12, 2026, Seattle Police responded to a call near NW 62nd Street and 28th Avenue NW after an 18-year-old woman reported that her ex-husband, 62-year-old Christopher Michael Bowman of Kansas, was following her and possibly armed. She sought safety inside a QFC grocery store and called 911.
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Officers located Bowman on the street. Bodycam footage shows him with one hand concealed in his pocket. Officers gave repeated commands for him to remove his hands.
Seconds later, Bowman pulled a firearm and fired at officers.
Police returned fire, striking Bowman. A firearm was recovered at the scene. One officer sustained a graze wound to the leg and was transported to the hospital and released.
The shooting occurred near Adams Elementary School. A teacher’s lounge window was struck by gunfire, but no students or staff were injured.
Bowman was transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition. He has been charged with first- and second-degree assault, with bail set at $3 million. Charging documents indicate prior felony convictions in Kansas and Missouri, including rape, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and firearm-related offenses. Authorities also confirmed he had an active warrant out of Kansas.
The investigation is being handled by the King County Independent Force Investigation Team.
From a legal standpoint, officers were responding to a reported armed suspect in a public setting. Bodycam video shows the suspect firing first. Under the objective reasonableness standard established in Graham v. Connor, officers are judged based on the totality of circumstances at the moment force is used.
This breakdown walks through the encounter frame by frame and analyzes what occurred.
Former Lawman covers police bodycam footage and major crime incidents through the lens of 20 years in law enforcement, including experience investigating officer-involved shootings.
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