NEWS

Tragic ending in Ronny Bowling's life

Family and friends spoke of fond memories of when Bowling was younger, before the disorders held him in a vise grip.

Madeline Buckley
madeline.buckley@indystar.com
An IMPD officer holds a section of crime tape up at the scene in the 4800 block of E. Southport Road where an off-duty officer struck and killed a pedestrian late Thursday night.

The last time Linda Strode saw Ronny Bowling, he was standing outside of her fence, crying and yelling that he couldn’t breathe.

“He said, ‘Linda, please call an ambulance,’” Strode said. “He was scared.”

Strode helped Bowling, who she has known since childhood, sit on a bench outside of her Southside home and called 911. She watched the ambulance carry away the 53-year-old man.

It was about a week before Bowling was struck and killed while walking on a dark Southeastside road.

Bernardo Zavalza, an officer in IMPD's Northwest District who was off duty at the time, hit Bowling in his patrol car just before midnight on Sept. 24. Investigators suspected Zavalza was under the influence of alcohol. Zavalza, 39, is on paid administrative leave, and the case remains under investigation.

Fate of IMPD officer who struck and killed pedestrian in legal limbo

Bowling was walking alone. He was homeless, and severely mentally ill, friends and family members say.

Strode never learned why he went to the hospital the last night she saw him. Bowling had a habit of calling for ambulances so he could stay the night at a hospital, said friends and officials at Wheeler Mission, the shelter where Bowling sometimes stayed.

Maybe he just needed somewhere to go, some friends wondered. Strode, though, believes his fear and anguish were real that night.

She is haunted by her last encounter with Bowling, who died after a tragic life. His illness left him homeless, distanced from his family and reliant on friends for occasional food and shelter.

“I wished I could have did more for him,” said Strode, before breaking down in tears.

'WRESTLING WITH HIS DEMONS'

Friends and family say Bowling battled bipolar disorder and schizophrenia for decades, diseases that has crippled him since his late 20s or early 30s.

They spoke of fond memories of the man when he was younger, before the disorders held him in a vise grip, and of the moments where the Ronny they remembered would shine through, when he was able to stay on his medication.

He had a relationship with his three children when they were younger, but stayed away from the family as the children grew older.

“I have really good memories of him when I was young,” said his 27-year-old daughter, Lauren Perdue, through tears. “But it got really bad.”

Ruth Perdue, Lauren's mother, said Bowling would drift in and out of their lives.

“We didn’t blame him,” Perdue said quietly. “He was wrestling with his demons, and as a mother, I had to protect my children.”

Friends could not recall Bowling holding down a job after a stint at Wendy’s as a teenager. He was homeless for most of his adult life, staying in shelters and with friends who cared for him.

Bowling’s sister-in-law, Joanie Lett, has cared for Bowling for much of the 15 years she has known him.

She is now battling cancer, and recently could not continue caring for him on a full-time basis, though she said she always had room for him at her home.

“Ronny used to help my kids with their homework,” Lett said. “He was very book smart. He knew math really well.”

She tried to help him receive disability payments and stick to the medication regimens he received from Midtown Community Mental Health. Lett said she tried to find a group home for him.

“We were fighting losing battles,” Lett said.

Strode sometimes let him stay at her home, remembering Bowling’s early years fondly, when he would walk her to school as a teenager.

But his erratic behavior made her fearful for the young children in her care.

Richard Bowling, Ronny's brother, said he  thought his brother should have lived full-time in a facility, but was never able to help his brother receive the care he needed.

"We tried to help him," Bowling said. "He was pretty bad off."

At one point, Ronny Bowling ate $28 of food at a Greenwood restaurant but couldn't pay for it. He later was convicted of felony theft and spent a year in the New Castle Correctional Facility.

Bowling spent much of his final years bouncing from home to home, shelter to shelter. He often rode the bus for hours, or days — maybe to cool off during the summer, or have someone to talk to, friends guessed.

HIS FINAL DAY

As friends and family cope with Bowling’s death, they grapple with grief, regret and one plaguing question: Why was he walking alone on that particular road?

An anonymous 911 call around 11:50 p.m. first alerted officers that a man was walking in the middle of the road in the 4400 block of Southport Road, a police report said.

“Maybe he was walking in the middle of the road, hoping someone would come pick him up,” wondered Terry Brown, a friend of Bowling’s who sometimes let Bowling stay in rental properties he rehabbed.

Still, questions linger about the investigation into Bowling’s death.

Four minutes after that call, Zavalza notified communications he hit a pedestrian on Southport Road between Emerson Avenue and I-65, according to an IMPD press release.

Investigators said they smelled alcohol on Zavalza and took a blood draw. Officials have not released those results.

Police have not arrested Zavalza. Prosecutors have yet to make a charging decision.

The department has stripped Zavalza of his police powers while the investigation unfolds, citing a strict alcohol policy while using the patrol cars.

Lauren Perdue, Bowling’s daughter, said she is praying for Zavalza and his family. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and hopes to receive a master’s degree in social work, to help people like her father.

“I want to help others that society has thrown away,” she said.

Star researcher Cathy Knapp contributed to this story. Call Star reporter Madeline Buckley at (317) 444-6083. Follow her on Twitter: @Mabuckley88.