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SEATTLE — A man with a lengthy history of violent crimes is now accused of attempting to kill Seattle police officers as they tried to arrest him earlier this week in the Ballard neighborhood.
On Friday, prosecutors filed charges of assault in the first degree and assault in the second degree against 62-year-old Christopher Michael Bowman.
Charging documents reveal more about the encounter between Bowman and Seattle police on Thursday night.
At 5:07 p.m., a 18 -year- old woman called police to report that Bowman, her ex-husband, was following her and told dispatchers he usually carries a pistol with him.
The woman went inside the QFC store on 24th Ave Northwest in Ballard and waited for police, according to investigators.
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Police noted they ran Bowman’s name through a database and found he had an active warrant for rape and other violent crimes in Kansas.
As police patrolled the area looking for Bowman, they spotted him walking on Northwest 62nd Street near 28th Ave Northwest around 5:45 p.m.
According to a summary of body-worn camera video included in charging documents, the Seattle police officer who found Bowman exited his cruiser and ordered him to show his hands.
Bowman immediately draws the gun and shoots at the officer, according to police.
Police confirmed three officers fired back at Bowman, striking him multiple times.
According to the description of the body camera videos, Bowman is seen firing his gun in videos from all three officers.
Shootout between police and suspect in Ballard on February 12, 2026 (KOMO)
A female officer was struck in the knee by shrapnel from one of Bowman’s shots.
“(Officer) immediately identified himself as ‘police’ and told (Bowman) to get his hands out of his pockets,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents. “(Bowman) responded by pointing his weapon in the (officer’s) direction and firing … his first response when confronted by law enforcement was to use deadly force.”
According to court records, Bowman’s history of violent crimes spans back to the 1990’s.
In Kansas, Bowman was convicted of rape, aggravated robbery, and aggravated kidnapping, criminal possession of a firearm, and trafficking contraband in a correctional institution, court filings show.
Bowman also has convictions for robbery in the first degree in Missouri.
At the time he was shot by police, Bowman had an extraditable warrant from Kansas related to his prior convictions.
Charging documents note that Bowman remains at Harborview Medical Center.
Prosecutors have asked for a bail of $3-million if he is released from the hospital.
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