Police Officer Molly Suzanne Thomas-Bowden

Molly Suzanne Thomas-Bowden

Officer Molly Thomas-Bowden succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained one month earlier when she was shot during a traffic stop.

The officer was initially shot and wounded in the shoulder. As she retreated to the rear of the suspect's vehicle for cover, the suspect exited and shot her in the neck. After she fell to the ground, the suspect shot at her two more times, striking her in the neck again.

The following morning, the suspect shot and wounded a second Columbia officer who was staking out his mother's home. The suspect then committed suicide.

Officer Thomas-Bowden had served with the Columbia Police Department for 3-1/2 years. She is survived by her husband, also an officer with the Columbia Police Department, two stepsons, parents, and a brother.