Philip Tyreck Gills convicted of attempted manslaughter in Austin shooting

A Mower County judge has issued a verdict in the case of Philip Tyreck Gills, an 18-year-old involved in a fatal shooting in Austin, Minnesota, in February of last year. Gills was acquitted of murder and attempted murder charges but was found guilty of attempted first-degree manslaughter.

The incident involved the death of 27-year-old Opoka James Nathanael, who was found shot in the driver's seat of his vehicle. A passenger in the car also sustained life-threatening gunshot wounds but survived.

The judge accepted Gills' claim of self-defense regarding the fatal shooting of Nathanael, noting Gills' testimony that Nathanael had threatened him and his siblings. However, the judge rejected self-defense claims regarding the shooting of the vehicle's passenger, ruling that Gills acted in the heat of passion as he had no reason to fear imminent harm from that individual.