Devondre Phillips sentenced to almost 29 years for attempted murder in St. Paul mass shooting
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- One of the men convicted in the mass shooting at a St. Paul bar in 2021 learned his sentence on Friday.
Devondre Phillips was sentenced in Ramsey County to 346 months in prison -- or just shy of 29 years -- for his role in the shooting that killed 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley and injured 14 others.
Court records show Phillips and another man, Terry Brown, started shooting at each other over allegations of domestic abuse between Brown and his girlfriend.
In February, Phillips was found guilty of eight counts of attempted second-degree murder.
Several victims were given the opportunity to speak in court Friday morning, including one father whose son was caught in the line of fire, as well Wiley's mother.
"His greatest injury, despite the bullet fragments in his wrist and lip, was to watch Miss Wiley die. He thinks of her every day," Todd Guerrero said. "How unfair it was that she had to die for such a stupid reason. Really for no reason other than Mr. Phillips and Mr. Brown's ignorance, selfishness, and utter disregard for their fellow brothers and sisters."
"We are left to celebrate holidays, birthdays, and special events, that she loves so much, without her. Because holidays meant so much to her," Beth Wiley said. "Our family and all of the victims will no longer be able to celebrate holidays in the same way we did prior to this horrifying nightmare. That has been taken away from all of us forever."
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi also released a statement.
"Mr. Phillips' actions inside a crowded bar set in motion a terrifying scene which resulted in 15 people shot and one young woman losing her life," he said. "We are thankful for the jury's verdict of guilty and the sentence handed down by the Judge today, which recognizes the immense devastation caused by Mr. Phillips to all the victims in this case and our entire community. We do not tolerate gun violence in our community. We hope that today brings some measure of justice to all of those who still suffer the impact of that horrifying night. A very special thank you to the prosecution staff that took this case to a trial and the numerous investigators who worked so hard on this case to determine the truth of what happened."
Earlier this month, Brown was found guilty in Wiley's death, along with the attempted murder of four others. He's scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8.
A third man, Gabriel Young-Duncan, was recently sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for his role in straw purchasing guns; one of them was used in the Truck Park shooting. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against Fleet Farm, which he says allowed Young-Duncan to buy several guns and resell them illegally.
