Police search for teen's killer

~ Jacob L. Bowers of Cape Girardeau was found fatally shot Wednesday night.

Police questioned one "person of interest" and searched for another Thursday in the slaying of a 17-year-old boy behind a Cape Girardeau furniture store.

Jacob L. Bowers of 1908 Bloomfield St. in Cape Girardeau was found fatally shot Wednesday night behind Du-Shell's Furniture, 2103 William St.

An autopsy Thursday determined Bowers died from a single gunshot wound to the torso, Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton said.

Clifton would not comment on whether Bowers sustained any other injuries.

Police Sgt. Barry Hovis would not release a description of the person being sought.

Police were attempting to determine whether the person in custody was a witness or was involved in the slaying.

Investigators believe a handgun was used in the shooting but were unsure what caliber it may have been, Hovis said.

He would not comment on possible motives for the shooting.

Police responded to Good Hope Street and Spring Avenue around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of a fight and shots fired. When officers arrived, a man approached and told them his friend had been shot. The body was discovered near a Dumpster in an alleyway that runs behind Du-Shell's.

Hovis did not know whether Bowers was shot where the body was found or somewhere else.

Around 2 p.m. Thursday, eight investigators were walking around the crime scene behind Du-Shell's. The investigators seemed to focus mostly on where the body was discovered and the yards of homes behind Du-Shell's.

Bowers is survived by his mother and father, Kristi and Kendall Bowers, his older brother Joshua and younger sister Jillian.

"I'm still in shock," said Ed Miller, 30, of 1910 Bloomfield St. Miller, who has lived next door to the Bowers family for the last three years, said he would often see Bowers washing the car he shared with his brother.

"They're all real close," Miller said of the siblings. He added that the neighborhood, which is only a few blocks from the location of the shooting, has been relatively safe.

"We've never had any problems at all," he said.

One neighbor said Bowers was "always friendly" and the two would wave to each other in passing. Bowers had also mowed the neighbor's yard when she was unable to following a surgery.

Bowers had attended Central High School before leaving and earning his GED in 2005.

Counselors at the high school were available for any students who wished to see them, according to Beth Brunkhorst, a counselor at the school. At least one student had spoken with a counselor about the death Thursday morning, she said.

Bowers was a member of Cape Bible Chapel. He was a former participant in the Teen Challenge addiction recovery program. He enjoyed hiking and climbing and was a certified welder.

Family members reached at the Bowers home and by telephone declined to talk with the media.

The funeral was scheduled for at 11 a.m. Saturday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

Anyone with information about the shooting should call the Cape Girardeau Police Department at 335-6621.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127