A man arrested in the shooting death of Yancy Noll at a north Seattle intersection has been ordered held without bail.
Prosecutors believe 29-year-old Dinh Bowman was driving a BMW convertible that pulled alongside a car driven by 43-year-old Yancy Noll on Aug. 31 as he was returning home from his job as a wine steward. Multiple shots hit Noll, who died in his car.
Detectives believe the shooting was the result of road rage.
A tip led police Friday to a home less than a mile from the shooting scene in the Roosevelt neighborhood.
SWAT and homicide detectives served a warrant at a home in the 7400 block of 25th Avenue Northeast early Friday and seized a silver BMW Z4 from the garage.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott O Toole detailed the findings from search warrants. They include:
- The BMW had a new window on the passenger side
- Shards of glass were found in the carpeting and on the running board underneath the passenger side door, consistent with the thought that the driver who shot Noll shot out his own window
- Detectives smelled fresh paint as if the car had recently been painted
- There were new tires on the car
In the house, detectives found a gun room, with bullet-making equipment, rifles and ammunition, but no handguns. O Toole said Bowman had at least one handgun and had a concealed weapons permit, but no handguns were found.
What they did find were two holsters and two magazines for a 9 mm handgun, but no 9 mm handgun, suggesting that the 9 mm, which may have fired the fatal shots ... may have been disposed of, said O Toole.
O Toole said a search of Bowman s workplace turned up a piece of a gun as well as the old tires. Also found were receipts for paint and other paraphernalia showing that the wheels on the BMW had been painted to change their color from silver, which was described by witnesses at the shooting scene, to black, which is how the wheels were found when the search warrant was served on Friday.
O Toole said Bowman s wife confirmed that the car window had been replaced in Portland the day after the shooting. She also said the tires had been replaced on Thursday, Sept. 20.
O Toole said a flickr video shows Bowman going through an obstacle course, firing a handgun at objects and different silhouettes. At one point even firing one-handed at a series of targets.
Hitting every one of them square-on, both right-handed and left-handed, he said.
O Toole also said a post-it note found on the refrigerator at Bowman s home read To the best shot in the wild, wild west... bang bang.
I add that because it shows his interest and his proficiency with weapons, which we think is consistent with the person who committed the murder of Yancy Noll, said O Toole.
O'Toole said he requested that Bowman be held without bail because he poses a threat not only beause of the violence involved but because of the sophistication and planning that went into his efforts to conceal his involvement in the crime.
As a child, Dinh Bowman was profiled as a whiz kid, with his sights set on success - and even the Olympics as a fencer.
In 2000, Bowman competed in robotics. Six years later, he and two friends produced a YouTube video showing a homemade flame thrower.
Last November, Bowman took first place in a shooting competition with the Paul Bunyan Sportsman s Club. The King County Prosecutor s Office says Bowman posted it online.
Although Bowman was denied bail, prosecutors haven t filed charges yet. Their deadline is Tuesday, September 25th.
