During a checkup at the clinic Nov. 16, a nurse asked Bowden if he ever thought about killing himself. According to the affidavit, Bowden told the nurse, “Yes, I would like to shoot the president, then myself.’’
Bowden repeated those words to another nurse, adding that he wanted to kill Obama “because he is not doing enough to help African-Americans.’’
The next day, federal agents searched the home that Bowden, who is white, shares with his wife and adult son. They found three semiautomatic handguns and a semiautomatic rifle under Bowden’s bed. Agents also found 13 other guns throughout the home, including a loaded shotgun near the front door.
When asked about his comments to the nurses, Bowden acknowledged he made them and also gave agents a sworn, written statement, saying “if I had the opportunity to put Obama against the wall and shoot him, I would.’’
Bowden also exhibited suicidal tendencies during a screening in April, according to the statement.
Bowden’s son, reached at the family’s home yesterday, said his father made the threats to the nurse only as a way to get attention after that screening had gone unnoticed.
“They did nothing for him,’’ said Kerry Bowden. “He’s going to miss Christmas, all because these nurses were either incompetent, not trained, or they just didn’t care.’’
There was no answer at the clinic Bowden’s father visited, and a Veterans Affairs official did not return a message.
