Motorcyclist who killed driver in I-5 fight won’t be charged

A motorcyclist who fatally shot a driver during a roadside fight on Interstate 5 near Tacoma won’t face charges, prosecutors announced Friday.

Aubrey Tayler Bowlin killed Bruce W. Jones on Feb. 8, 2018 after Jones boxed her in on the side of the freeway at Milton, according to a Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office statement.

Bowlin claimed she feared for her life when she killed Jones, 60. Jones' wife witnessed the fatal shooting from inside the couple's GMC SUV.

“Ms. Bowlin said she acted in self-defense and, given the evidence, the Prosecutor’s Office cannot prove otherwise,” an office spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the statement, Jones cut in front of Bowlin because he was “upset at how Ms. Bowlin was driving her motorcycle.”

As the Prosecutor’s Office described it, Jones pulled in front of her in a manner that prevented her from driving away. Jones then initiated a fight with Bowlin, who headbutted Jones before he slammed her head into a Jersey barrier.

Bowlin shot Jones once in the chest as he tried to climb on top of her. Jones died of that wound.

Some members of the Northwest motorcycling community were vocal in support of Bowlin following the shooting. A legal defense fund had also been set up in her name.

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SeattlePI senior editor Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at @levipulk. Find more from Levi here on his author page.