As Bowen described the events, Luke reconstructed the scene in his mind.
After the gunshot on the third floor of the academic building.
Fannie, at the time, likely was not in the academic building; otherwise, with her experience, she might have been able to pinpoint the gunshot's location on the third floor.
Fannie should have been aware of Bowen's schedule and known that he was supposed to be in classroom 201, very close to where the shooting occurred. She mistook Bowen for the shooter.
After all, the reason Fannie had infiltrated the school was because someone had reported that Bowen might carry out a school shooting. Now that the incident had occurred, Fannie was obligated to verify Bowen's suspicion.
Fannie rushed to the classroom Bowen was in as her first response.
Of course, seeing Bowen's condition at the time, Fannie may have had doubts, which was why she didn't shoot immediately. She likely wanted to detain Bowen first, search him as a matter of routine, to eliminate him as a suspect.
But when she shouted the FBI slogan, she was probably heard by the real culprit who shot her from behind.
As an ex-Marine with extensive combat experience, Fannie likely turned around upon hearing someone behind her, but it was already too late.
Three gunshots; two hit Fannie, and one missed.
Fannie was dead; the gun fell to the ground, and the killer left.
Of course, this conjecture is based on the assumption that Bowen is not lying.
From Luke's experience, the likelihood of Bowen lying didn't seem high.
Previously, the police had always wondered why Fannie, an ex-Marine with extensive combat experience, could be so easily shot to death. Now it seemed likely that it was due to a misjudgment.
She mistook Bowen for the killer, focusing her attention on him, which led to her being attacked from behind.
Her ability to react in time to turn around is a testament to her keen judgment; that's why the bullets hit her in the chest.
So far, this description was completely logical.
Bowen took a deep breath and continued, "I was petrified at that moment, it was the first time I saw a dead person. I never thought it would be .
I knew it wasn't safe here, I wanted to run, and then I saw the gun on the ground. I wanted to protect myself; I didn't want the same thing to happen again, being pointed at with a gun like a fool, only able to hide trembling under the desk." Bowen pounded his chest with force,
"I don't want to be bullied again, by anyone.
I picked up Fannie's handgun; I planned to leave the school, which would also add an extra layer of security.
I left the classroom and heard a woman's wailing for help, very close, but there was no one around, it sounded like it was coming from upstairs.
If it had been before, I might not have dared to go up and check.
But now that I had a gun, I felt empowered, I wanted to do what a man should do.
I went upstairs and saw a female student lying in a pool of blood, Barbara.
I knew her, Chad's girlfriend, I had no particularly good or bad impressions of her.
But she was there in a pool of blood; I couldn't just not help.
I approached, took out clothes from her bag and pressed them on the wound.
Just then, I heard footsteps and turned to see Chad rushing over, kicking me and knocking me down.
I was dazed by the kick and forgot to fight back.
Then, I saw him with a stick in his hand, like a wooden chair leg, about to hit me.
That's when I instinctively drew the handgun.
Afterward, he fell to the ground; I had hit him.
I was shocked stiff too.
I wiped off the fingerprints on the gun and hid it in one of the many potted plants under the academic building; then I went home.
"That's what happened."
Luke listened intently, reconstructing the scene in his mind, and didn't find any major inconsistencies. As to why Chad happened to come by at that time, Barbara had mentioned it earlier.
Barbara was on the phone with Chad when she was shot; he must have heard the gunshot and knew something had happened to Barbara.
From this point of view, though Chad liked to bully other students and was flawed in character, he genuinely cared for his girlfriend.
Luke organized his thoughts and asked, "Did you see the person who killed Fannie?"
"No, Fannie was blocking my view at the time. After the gunshot, I was lying on the floor and didn't dare to look up."
Bowen's father gripped his son's arm, comforting, "Son, you did the right thing, you didn't do anything wrong. If I had been in your shoes, I would have made the same choice.
Detective Chief, my son surely acted in self-defense. Under those critical circumstances, he had the right to shoot when he was attacked."
Luke nodded, "You're right, if it were me, I would have chosen to shoot as well. I also think it qualifies as self-defense, but the decision to prosecute ultimately lies with the prosecutor.
Additionally, Bowen's attitude during the investigation is important too. As long as he cooperates with the police, we will also help him argue for it."
"Thank you, I am willing to cooperate with you. Everything I've said now is true; you can ask me any questions you have."
Luke once again took out the photos of the other victims and asked Bowen to identify them, but Bowen didn't provide any valuable clues.
However, Bowen's confession was good news for the police and a significant breakthrough in the investigation of the whole case.
Understanding one shooter's cause of death and eliminating the confusion caused by one gun made the case clearer and easier to investigate the real culprit's true motives.
Upon Bowen's confession, Luke left the interrogation room.
Just as he returned to his office, a round of applause rang out.
The deputy chief laughed, "Luke, congrats on getting that kid Bowen to confess."
"Thank you. All thanks to Barbara's testimony."