Body identified as UA student

Tucson police officers found Michael A. Bowers, 34, lying near the back steps of his apartment near North Euclid Avenue and East Fourth Street about 3:30 a.m., said Sgt. Eugene Mejia, a police spokesman.

Residents of the two-story fourplex in the 800 block of East Fourth Street reported hearing gunshots about 3:15 a.m. Moments later, a resident found Bowers lying in a pool of blood on the building's rear stairway, Mejia said.

Bowers apparently died from gunshot wounds to the chest and shoulder, said Tucson police homicide Detective Raul Olivas. An autopsy was performed yesterday, although the findings were not available, and the type of gun used in the slaying has yet to be determined, Olivas said.

Police took the man who lives in the unit above Bowers' apartment into custody Wednesday after a two-hour standoff with the Tucson police SWAT team. The man had refused to respond to officers' phone calls and knocks at the door, prompting officers to obtain a search warrant, Mejia said.

Police questioned the man and released him later that afternoon, but consider him a lead in the investigation, Olivas said. The man's name was not released.

Residents told police Bowers and the man police questioned Wednesday had an ongoing feud, possibly stemming from a rank odor coming from the man's apartment, Olivas said.