Isanti man charged with 14 counts of attempted murder against officers in hourslong standoff
A man from Isanti, Minnesota, is charged with the attempted murders of 14 law enforcement officers during last week's armed standoff at his home, with his wife and five children trapped inside.
The Isanti County Sheriff's Office on Monday charged Jason M. Phillips, 42, with 32 felonies: 14 counts each of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault, and one count each of second-degree assault, reckless discharge of firearms in a city, child neglect and property damage.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called Wednesday to Phillips' home on Cedar Street Southwest after his neighbor reported he was "throwing paint cans and glass jars in the street."
Officers approached Phillips' attached garage and called out to him, then heard someone inside run into the home, prompting them to retreat from the premises and try instead to make contact via phone.
The complaint states Phillips didn't answer and ignored officers' attempts to communicate with him through a squad car's PA system. Soon after, officers heard an eruption of gunfire from different firearms coming from the home, including some equipped with silencers.
Other law enforcement agencies, including multiple SWAT teams, eventually converged at the scene, according to the court documents. Officers tried to break through a door to get in, leading Phillips to allegedly open fire on them.
The complaint states 14 officers "took direct fire," including eight members of the Anoka County Sheriff's Office, and members of police departments from Anoka, Blaine, Coon Rapids, Ramsey and St. Cloud. None of the officers were hurt.
The complaint states law enforcement then used drones and a tactical robot to get live sound and visuals from inside the home, helping them pinpoint Phillips in the basement "laying prone on the floor with muzzle flashes determined as active gunfire."
Officers then were able to deploy chemical agents into the home while further breaking in with mechanical devices and explosives. The complaint states that while the gas prevented officers from getting inside, it helped confirm that Phillips wasn't alone because they could hear a woman coughing and crying in the basement.
The standoff continued for hours with law enforcement repeatedly trying to gain entry via multiple breach attempts with mechanical devices and explosives, while Phillips allegedly continued to spray rounds through the basement door and upper-level floors.
Eventually, law enforcement used an armored BearCat vehicle to break through several walls, allowing them to finally speak directly with Phillips, who allegedly kept firing at them before he "verbalized a countdown" for a bomb that turned out to be fake. Officers were then able to arrest him.
Phillips was brought to an area hospital for evaluation before he was taken to the Isanti County Jail.
In the hours following the standoff, investigators spoke with Phillips' wife and five children, who range in age from 4 to 17, court documents state. She said she and her kids hid in the closet for most of the confrontation and were unable to escape the residence.
Phillips' wife told investigators that before the standoff, he had forced them all to do "military drills," according to the complaint. One of his children said days earlier, Phillips "broke every window for fun" in the home.
In interviews with Phillips' children, they recounted the ordeal, saying they were "scared for their lives" amid the nonstop, deafening gunfire and gas that made it difficult for them to breathe. One of the children said they believe they suffered hearing damage.
During the standoff, they said he used five firearms: two shotguns, two AR-style rifles and a handgun — which one of the children was forced to help reload and even wield, according to the complaint.
One of the children said during the standoff, Phillips told her to "put face paint on to make herself look scary."
A day after the shooting, investigators spoke with one of Phillips' neighbors, who said a round fired during the standoff entered their home, "flew by" their child and pierced a wall.
Phillips is due to make his first appearance Monday. He faces decades in prison if convicted.
Isanti is about 40 miles north of Minneapolis.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline at 1-800-799-SAFE or Minnesota Day One at 1-866-223-1111.
To report concerns about child abuse, neglect or sexual abuse, the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families recommends contacting the county or Tribal Nation where the child lives. You can find a list of Minnesota's county and tribal child protection agencies by clicking here. If there is an immediate concern of harm to the child, the agency recommends calling 911.
