St. Paul Truck Park shooting: Devondre Phillips appealing his conviction
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - One of the men involved in a St. Paul bar shooting that left one woman dead and more than a dozen people injured is appealing his conviction in court on Tuesday.
Devondre Trevon Phillips, of Las Vegas, is currently serving a nearly 29-year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty on eight counts of second-degree attempted murder in connection to the 2021 shooting at the Seventh Street Truck Park bar that injured 14 people and left 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley dead.
Phillips previously argued that the shooting was in self-defense, saying he pulled his gun after another man started the confrontation. The Minnesota Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments Tuesday morning as Phillip’s attorneys look to have his conviction thrown out.
The shooting
The shooting unfolded late on Saturday night, early Sunday morning, on Oct. 10, 2021.
Court records say Phillips and Terry Lorenzo Brown were in a "beef" over domestic abuse allegations involving Brown and the woman he dates, who Phillips describes as a relative of his. Both men exchanged gunfire inside the bar.
Brown was later convicted on multiple counts of attempted second-degree murder and one count each of intentional second-degree murder and being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to nearly 37 years for his role in the shooting.
Digging deeper
FOX 9 previously reported Truck Park’s surveillance video captured the entire incident and showed how the confrontation unfolded at close quarters in a packed bar.
In one video clip, you can see Phillips wearing a ball cap with his back against what appears to be some boxes.
That is when one of Brown’s associates approaches. The first shot is fired by Phillips, who then makes a beeline towards the door when he appears to be intercepted by Brown. The two went toe-to-toe, and each man was struck multiple times.
Philips claimed self-defense, saying he pulled his gun and opened fire after another man started the confrontation. Brown also claimed self-defense, but prosecutors argued that didn’t apply and that even though it was Philips who fired the first shot, it was a bullet from Brown's weapon that killed an innocent bystander.
Both men were found guilty in separate trials.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals is hearing Phillip’s argument to overturn the conviction on Tuesday morning.