Tracy Lee Bowman
A 69-year-old Soddy Daisy drug dealer was shot seven times at a trailer he occupied on Hotwater Road, a county detective testified on Tuesday.
Detective Robert Rush said Tracy Lee Bowman admitted to the shooting, but said Roger Kelly first pulled a gun on him.
Charges of criminal homicide and especially aggravated robbery were bound to the Grand Jury against the 45-year-old Bowman, of Cleveland, Tn.
Kelly was killed on Friday, Aug. 12, but his body was not discovered until two days later. It was found by his brother, who lives nearby. Authorities found $8,000 in cash in the trailer.
The detective said authorities were led to Bowman because of drug ledgers found in the trailer. One ledger found in the kitchen was opened to a page with the name T. Bowman. It listed an Aug. 12 visit.
Bowman at first denied being involved in the shooting. However, he was interviewed again after detectives spoke with another Cleveland resident, whose name was obtained through a search of text messages.
In the second statement, Bowman said he went by the trailer on Aug. 10, but did not stop because he saw that a female was there. He said Kelly had instructed that he was not to be bothered anytime she was around.
Bowman said he stopped by later to fix a video player and to flip a mattress for Kelly.
He said at the time he owed Kelly a couple hundred dollars at the time, and on that occasion he asked him for credit for some pills. He said that made Kelly upset and he pulled a gun and aimed it at his head. Bowman said he then started shooting with his own .22 caliber handgun in the kitchen area.
He said Kelly then went down the hall toward where he kept a Bushmaster AK 15 weapon and another gun. Bowman said he continued shooting because he feared Kelly was going to come after him with the big gun.
Bowman said he took some pills and guns to make it look like a robbery. He said he considered burning down the trailer, but instead locked it and left.
He said while going over the Highway 60 bridge to Cleveland that he "chunked" the .22 caliber gun into the water. Detective Rush said Bowman was later taken to the bridge as an effort was made to retrieve that gun.
Bowman said he sold two guns taken from Kelly to a man in Sale Creek. Randy Hudson confirmed that he bought the guns from Bowman, it was stated.
The victim had six projectiles inside his body. Three .223 shell casings (including an unspent one on a bed) and a .22 shell casing were found in the single-wide.
Detective Rush said there was no sign of a struggle and no blood found in the living room or kitchen. He said the victim was found lying in the bedroom.
He said the ledger showed that Kelly had from 10-20 regular drug customers.
He also was involved in sports betting and money lending, it was stated.