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Dallas shooting: Ex-Mavericks dancer arrested in shooting rampage

Posted at 1:30 PM, Aug 08, 2013
and last updated 2013-08-08 13:34:18-04

(CNN) — A Texas man went on a gun attack in two cities late Wednesday, killing four people, including two at his ex-girlfriend’s home, police said. He wounded four more.

Relatives identified three of the victims in the shooting rampage.

Toya Smith, 43, and two of her children were among eight people shot at homes in Dallas and DeSoto, Smith’s family said.

Smith and her 17-year-old daughter, Tasmia Allen, and two others died in the shooting. Smith’s 14-year-old son, Storm Malone, is among four other people shot who were taken to area hospitals.

One of Tasmia’s friends, a 17-year-old girl, was also injured, Smith’s family said. Her condition isn’t known.

The identities of the four remaining victims haven’t been released.

Smith’s relatives identified the suspect as the woman’s ex-boyfriend, Erbie Bowser, a former Dallas Mavericks ManiAAc dancer.

This all started when the suspect saw that his ex-girlfriend was not at her Dallas home. He stopped shooting there and quickly drove to a second home in the city of DeSoto, where he found her, CNN affiliate WFAA reported.

Bowser left Dallas and went a DeSoto home on Galleria, police said. Bowser tossed an explosive device into a home and after it detonated, went inside and shot four people, according to officers.

Bowser’s ex-wife, who hasn’t been identified, reportedly owns the DeSoto home where the second shooting happened. Police have not said whether she is among the victims.

Dallas police said the man ran out of ammunition and was arrested in DeSoto. News 8 learned the man has tattoos identifying him as a former military.

When he saw that his ex-girlfriend was not at her Dallas home, he stopped shooting there and quickly drove to a second home in the city of DeSoto, where he found her, CNN affiliate WFAA reported.

There, he used “some sort of explosive device,” then opened fire on the people inside, DeSoto police spokeswoman Melissa Franks said.

Police arrested suspect Erbie Bowser when he ran out of ammunition, she said.

Charges are pending. Dallas and DeSoto investigators are working together on the case. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the nature of the explosive device, Franks said.

Short succession

Police said Bowser moved quickly from the first shooting to the second one.

The first emergency call reached Dallas police at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. When they responded, they found two victims dead, police said. Two more people were wounded but still alive.

At 10:45 p.m., a 911 call came in from the DeSoto home as gunshots were fired, Franks said.

There, two adults were fatally shot, and two boys, ages 11 and 13, were wounded by gunfire, Franks said. She would not say whether the ex-girlfriend was shot.

Police said they arrived quickly and arrested Bowser at the home.

Information on the boys’ conditions wasn’t available.

CNN’s Paul Caron, Marlena Baldacci and Tina Burnside reported from Atlanta; Ben Brumfield reported and wrote from Atlanta.