Becky and Marc Bowen, the parents of a policeman official, were aware of the dangers that their brother’s job posed, but they never imagined having to endure it.
Their brother Matthew Brent Bowen, a Vacaville agent, was killed in the line of duty on July 11.
” You think the odds are definitely on your side”, Becky said.
” That’s right”, her husband Marc agreed. ” That’s the sort of thing that just happens to other people”.
Matthew Bowen, 32, was fatally struck by an approaching vehicle while being pulled over on the part of an crossing in Vacaville while conducting a traffic stop on a bicycle.
The vehicle, 24-year-old Serena C. J. Rodriguez, was charged with felony murder by the Solano County District Attorney’s office on Monday, with modifications for the intentional killing of a police officer.
She has a criminal record, according to prosecutors, and a bench warrant was in place for her incarceration in Placer County at the time of the collision.
Rodriguez is scheduled to appear in court again on August 19 to have her cognitive health evaluated in order to go on trial. Without loan, she is currently being held in the Solano County jail.
According to ABC-10, five vehicles were involved in the collision, and one additional person suffered minor wounds and was taken to the hospital that morning.
Bowen is the first officers commander from Vacaville to have been killed while performing a task. He is survived by his woman, two children, kids and a nephew.
Matthew Bowen was raised in Fairfield and was born in Walnut Creek. Growing up, he was an accomplished singer, performer and Eagle Scout, his parents said. The pair recently moved to Pismo Beach and retired, about ten years ago.
His mother, Becky, described him as a “really special as a child and a very polite man.”
Becky described her brother as a hard worker who has been employed since he was 16 years old. In reality, Bowen met his wife, Elizabeth Williamson, at the restaurant where they worked together as youth. In 2020, the pair had two sons and were married at his parents ‘ home in Pismo Beach.
His parents recall that Bowen’s teenage years, when he began to discuss authorities work, led him to become interested in bodybuilding through his high school wrestling job.
” I remember he had a duplicate of Schwarzenegger’s body building book”, Becky said, laughing. ” I do n’t know if that influenced him at all”.
Bowen was a 2019 student of the Napa Police Academy. Before moving to the Vacaville office in July 2023, where he received his qualification as a motorcycle commander, he spent three and a half years with the Concord police department.
Bowen took part in the yearly Law Enforcement Appreciation Night at Oracle Park in San Francisco the night before his passing.
Becky and Marc were in Vacaville visiting their brother, daughter-in-law, and children at the time. While his family watched on tv from their house, he boldly drove his bicycle around the Giants ‘ area.
The next day, the phone to come to the doctor came out of nowhere.
” We were very little in shock”, Marc said.
” We spent a good number of days at the doctor. When we left, all the nurses, doctors, and a lot of officers were merely lined up outside”, Becky said, choking up as she spoke about the wonderful response to the loss of her child.
The family was led to the Fairfield coroner’s office by a procession of hundreds of police vehicles and motorcycles” a few miles much.”
Becky described the Vacaville community’s overwhelming assistance as “very moving.”
When the Vacaville Police Department posted the see about Bowen’s dying, “hundreds and hundreds of people responded” in the comments, she said.
One of the sweetest officers he’d encountered in a while, his parents recall, remarking that a man had told him about Bowen’s solution a month earlier and praised him as one of the nicest officers he’d encountered in a while.
Matthew’s mother said his son was the kind of police officer who would drive his police vehicle around the holidays to allow the people he had arrested to listen to melodies in the backseat. His parents claimed that he once saved a man’s existence by performing CPR until the paramedics arrived on the scene, earning him a letter of praise.
On Tuesday in honor of the fallen policeman’s life, a finished memorial service was held. The company was livestreamed on the area of , Vacaville’s YouTube channel.
Vacaville Police Chaplain Jim Wilson said at the monument that” Officer Bowen exemplified the highest standards of service and integrity in all that he did.” He “accomplished his duty by showing a noble dedication that transcended the call of duty” and embodied the common service’s true spirit.
Two chapel funds set up for Bowen’s home can be found at , porac. org/fundraiser/vacavillepoa-matt-bowen/ , and , vacavillepolicefoundation. org/officer-matthew-bowen-memorial-fund/.
Suspect charged with’ purposeful’ felony murder
Serena Rodriguez, the pilot accused of killing Bowen, was arraigned on Monday, marking her second appearance in court.
The Solano County District Attorney’s office is accused of murder in a criminal complaint that includes the use of deadly weapons, deadly weapons, and the death of a policeman officer.
Solano County District Attorney Krishna A. Abrams stated in a speech on the day of her initial arraignment on July 15 that Bowen was “intentionally killed while he was engaged in the performance of her tasks.
The DA has not provided further information regarding the intentionality of the crime, which calls for both malicious purpose and premeditative action.
Rodriguez was serving time for Bowen’s suicide when she was detained in Placer County. According to the Placer County DA’s office, she has a history of consciously flooding her own room, having custody of a tool, and automotive theft while driving while under the influence of drugs.
Before being arrested, Rodriguez attempted to flee the scene of the crash on feet but was restrained by observers, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Rodriguez’s attorney and her attorney reportedly disagreed on the plea deal during her next court appearance on Monday.
The prosecutor cleared the court to speak with the respondent discreetly after she requested a substitute for her public keeper. In the end, Rodriguez’s ability to stand trial was questioned by the judge, who eventually rejected the replacements.
Rodriquez is scheduled to return to judge on Aug. 19, when a doctor’s document on her psychological skills may be presented.
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