Officer Molly Bowden was shot and fatally wounded during a traffic stop.

On January 10, 2005 at approximately 9:50 pm, Officer Bowden initiated a traffic stop at Nifong and Forum Boulevards. The driver of the vehicle, Richard Evans, a 23 year-old student, initially shot and wounded Officer Bowden in the shoulder. As she retreated to the rear of the suspect's vehicle for cover, the suspect exited his vehicle and shot two more times striking her in the neck.

The following morning, the suspect, Richard T. Evans, 23, shot and wounded a second Columbia officer, Curtis Brown, who was staking out the suspect's mother's home. The suspect then committed suicide.

Officer Molly Bowden succumbed to her wounds one month later on February 10, 2005.

Officer Bowden was a graduate of Hickman High School. She was a 2002 graduate of Columbia College. She served with the University Police before she joined the Columbia Police Department. Officer Bowden was survived by her husband, Cory Bowden, two step children and her parents. Interred: Memorial Park Cemetery.

Columbia College established the Molly S. Thomas Bowden Memorial Scholarship, which provides a scholarship to a female majoring in Criminal Justice Administration or Forensic Science.