WINONA, Minn. – A Winona man attempted suicide by barricading himself in an alley garage and setting a couch on fire. Then, he said, his survival instincts kicked in. He smashed out a window and climbed through. Meanwhile, firefighters were called to the burning and smoked-filled garage on the 600 block of West Fourth. This was about 4:15 p.m. Zayne Thomas Bowman, 23, of Winona, was taken to the hospital for leg cuts from breaking glass that required stitches. He was booked at the jail about 8 p.m. for arson. Apparently he was despondent after being kicked out of his living quarters and had been taken in temporarily, for a few days, at the house on West Fourth. When the owner was away in the afternoon, he went to the single-car garage in the alley. That’s where the fire was set. Police blocked alleys from McBride and Sioux streets for firefighters to do their work.
Burning couch. Generated lots of smoke and panicked man who had barricaded himself inside. Image: Winona Fire Department
Bowman. Charged with arson.