13 hours ago
16-year-old accused of killing person is charged as an adult
Jun. 27—AUSTIN, Minn. — A 16-year-old is facing murder charges in Mower County after allegedly shooting two individuals inside a car.
Phillip Tyrek Gills, of Austin, is charged as an adult with two counts of second-degree murder with intent.
He made an initial appearance in court Friday morning, June 27. Gills was placed on $1 million bail with conditions or $2 million unconditional bail.
Gills is accused of shooting and killing a man inside a black Chevrolet Traverse on Feb. 15.
According to the complaint, law enforcement responded to a report of a shooting around 1:35 p.m. on Feb. 15 in the area of Fifth Avenue Northwest and 11th Street Northwest in Austin.
Officers pulled the driver out of the vehicle to provide medical care, but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
The front seat passenger had exited the vehicle and was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System — Austin by a neighbor. The passenger was then flown to St. Marys with gunshot wounds.
The complaint said the passenger later told police that he and the driver were shot inside the vehicle.
Officers found that the driver's window was broken with shards of glass outside of the car. There were bullet shell casings and a bullet hole with no exit hole inside the vehicle, the complaint said. Police also found footprints directly outside of the back passenger seat.
According to the complaint, witnesses said there was a third occupant of the vehicle who fled the scene.
One witness said they heard a gunshot and looked toward the vehicle when they saw a black male wearing a tan hoodie and black pants exiting the back seat of the car. The male ran eastbound, and a second witness saw him walking fast east on Fifth Avenue Northwest in the 900 block. According to the complaint, the witness pointed out a trail left in the snow on Fifth Avenue Northwest that belonged to the suspect.
The complaint said a third witness saw the male disappear behind a garage on Eighth 8th Street Northwest. Officers followed the last matching footprint to 809 6th Avenue Northwest.
Another individual shared their surveillance footage that showed a male running and walking east in the 700 block of Sixth Avenue Northwest wearing a tan sweatshirt, black pants and white shoes, the complaint said. Police identified the suspect in surveillance footage at 709 5th Street Northwest and 711 5th Street Northwest.
The male was breathing heavily and coughing on the surveillance footage at 709 5th Street Northwest, the complaint said. The homeowner at 709 5th Street Northwest identified him as Gills.
Another person in the home told police he heard Gills having a heated conversation at the residence. The person said he saw Gills change clothes when he arrived at the residence.
An autopsy of the driver was completed on Feb. 16. There were seven entry wounds in the victim's body, with all entrance wounds on his back, the complaint said.
The person who sat in the front passenger seat told police the driver knew Gills, but he did not. According to the complaint, they stopped the car to pick Gills up. The passenger heard several gunshots, turned and saw that the driver appeared to be dead. Gills then shot the passenger twice, the passenger said.
The defendant was certified to adult court on June 25. An initial appearance is scheduled for July 7.
