Man charged in killing of police officer

A 48-year-old Detroit man was charged Wednesday, Jan. 19 with three felony counts — including murder — after he and his brother broke into a Walled Lake home, leading to a shootout that killed both an undercover Livonia police officer and one of the suspects.

Terry Neil Bowling appeared before 52-1 District Court Judge Dennis Powers on charges of felony murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole; first-degree home invasion, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison; and assaulting, resisting, and obstructing a police officer, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Not guilty pleas were entered on Bowling’s behalf. He has requested a court-appointed attorney.

According to officials, Terry Neil Bowling and his brother, David Bowling, 44, were being evicted from their Detroit rental home and entered the Walled Lake area on Monday, Jan. 17 to collect a $30 debt owed them. On the way out, they noticed a neighboring homeowner leaving and broke into a home in the 100 block of Glenwood and attempted to steal a cache of valuables including a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun, the same gun used to shoot and kill Livonia undercover Police Officer Larry Nehasil minutes later.

Nehasil, a former Milford resident, was in Walled Lake as part of a six-member Livonia Police Intelligence Bureau Team working on a case involving a string of break-ins in the metro Detroit area when the suspects were confronted in the residential Walled Lake neighborhood that straddles the border with Commerce Township.

Nehasil pursued David Bowling while other officers rounded up Terry Bowling after he backed his 2004 Ford Taurus into a police car while trying to escape.

David Bowling sustained two fatal gunshots to the chest. Nehasil was mortally wounded after sustaining a gunshot to the head. He also had wounds to the hip, thigh, buttocks, and back. Both men died at the scene.

Nehasil is survived by his wife, Linda, and two sons, Adam and Aaron. Nehasil’s funeral was held on Friday, Jan. 21 in Plymouth. Nearly 3,000 people lined the streets to mourn his death.

Terry Bowling’s wife, Lisa Dunn, 37, has also been charged with possessing a gun that was stolen from a home in St. Clair Shores, which allegedly connects her to the rash of robberies reportedly linked to the Bowling brothers.

Three other men were arrested by Dearborn police in connection with the home invasion ring, according to Walled Lake police.

Terry Neil Bowling has a long list of criminal convictions dating back to the 1980s, including armed robbery, possession of a controlled substance, and gun charges. He was remanded to the Oakland County Jail without bond.

Terry Bowling has a preliminary exam scheduled for today, Wednesday, Jan. 26.