Springfield, Missouri – On November 25th, 2015 23 year-old Magnum Phillips had an argument with his fiancé Amanda Yocum, who were to be married on Dec.31 2016, so she temporarily locked him out of the house. Mr. Phillips just wanted into his house so he dialed-up his local ‘Peace’ officers of the Springfield Police Department. While Phillips was on the phone with the dispatch personnel, he and Amanda talked, and worked out their differences, so he told the police that he no longer needed their assistance.
A little later that night around 9pm officer Kolby Helms showed up at the residence anyway. Ms. Yocum told him that police assistance was canceled by phone and that everything was ok. Officer Helms, (fresh out of his public servant graduation class) decided otherwise and entered their home without a warrant or consent, he proceeded to the rear of the home to the back bedroom where Mr. Phillips was located. This is from the report made after the incident of what went down that night:
“At approximately 9:01 p.m., Officer Kolby Helms responded to a possible domestic disturbance at 2260 N. Golden #78. Upon his arrival, Officer Helms made contact with Phillips, who was armed with a knife, in a bedroom of the home. Officer Helms attempted to negotiate with Phillips, but he refused to comply with commands to drop the knife. Phillips then approached Officer Helms with the knife and attempted to take the officer’s handgun. Phillips was shot when the officer’s gun was fired during the ensuing struggle, and he died as a result of his injuries.”
Many Questions have been raised from this statement.
Was the officer’s gun out or holstered when Magnum “went for the gun”? Why didn’t the officer have his taser out if Magnum had a knife?
Springfield, Missouri Police Department’s policy
{ENTRY INTO A PRIVATE DWELLING 4.1 Officers responding to a domestic violence scene will make reasonable effort to insure safety of victim. This will be determined through personal contact and interview with the victim. 4.2 In the event that consent to enter cannot be obtained, officers should review all justifications for exigent entry to include but not be limited to: medical emergency, any evidence that a violent crime is imminent or in progress, or a reasonable belief that the suspect is on the premises and is armed.]}
Officer Helms never reported what his reasoning was for the justification to violate the 4th Amendment and enter the home since Yocum had repeatedly denied the officer entry. When the struggle started Ms. Yocum’s Mother Cheri Yocum-Devine came out of another room of the house to see what all the commotion was about and witnessed Officer Helms with both of his knees on top of Mr. Phillips chest, forcefully pinning him to a bed. Yocum-Devine also said she clearly saw Officer Helms put his service weapon to the side of Mr. Phillips face and pull the trigger. Phillips was shot through the right cheek with the bullet exiting out the top of his head. Phillips’ Uncle stated that friends and family who viewed the body at the funeral home said there was clear indication of extensive bruising on his chest and no marks on his hands.
This raises the question: No marks on his hands? This is very concerning to the case. If there was really a struggle over the officer’s gun while Mr. Phillips held a knife in his hand, wouldn’t at least one of his hands have cuts or abrasions on them or on the hands or body of the home invader? No report was given that the officer was cut or even scratched. Why did Officer Helms not have his taser or mace out in ready position while talking to a man in his own home a few feet away that he said was armed with a knife?
Magnum Phillips will be remembered as a kind, friendly, loving, very outgoing young man. Unfortunately forced to be left behind is a grieving family, many friends, a fiancé, and his 2 children with an unknown future without their father.
Magnum Phillips life was taken way too soon simply because a young officer decided to use his service weapon instead of choosing non-lethal alternatives.
Cops are given non-lethal tools, and options for a reason, to prevent the senseless killings of the people they serve. With all the supposed training that they go through, they should be able to subdue men and women without killing them. One of the travesties here is the need to spread awareness to record all police encounters, it is extremely important for all who are involved. There are laws being brought up and even filed in certain states to restrict the filming of Police, this is an obvious attempt to further back the armed monopolized gang running rampant through our streets.
This is not the first time that the Springfield Police Department has covered up for their officers murdering a citizen. Early last year SPD Officer Bath shot and killed Michael Ireland while he was laying on the ground unarmed after foot chase. The Springfield Police Department investigated themselves and found that officer Bath was justified in killing Michael Ireland based solely on his word. The Department did pay out $250,000 to the Ireland family in their civil lawsuit. The Ireland family are now looking into a Federal investigation into the murder of their son. They want a more thorough and in depth search of all witnesses, documents, reports, and all audio and video recordings that are available. Justice for Michael Ireland’s Facebook Page
Before Paul Williams became Chief of the Springfield Police Department, they forged an agreement with the Missouri Highway Patrol (MHP) to investigate all SPD officer involved killings. Since Chief Williams has taken over he has completely avoided outside investigations and has chosen instead to offer up his own opinions that his officers are the best, and that they will no longer turn over those investigations to the Missouri Hwy Patrol.
Chief Williams is in the meantime dragging his feet in getting his officers body cameras. He has purposely selected one of the most expensive brands of body cameras on the market to present to the penny pinching Springfield City Council. Several more affordable body cameras are available that operate and function just as well as the expensive ones that he has chose to present. His high price quotes are for every single police employee in the department, when every police personnel position does not require a need for a body camera.
Southwest Missouri Cop Watchers strongly feel that Chief Williams has picked the most expensive body cameras on the market and with his demand to get all his officers cameras or no cameras at all, it is his way to deter getting the much needed body cameras.
No body camera footage exists to back up what Officer Helms said happened that night, all we have is his word and Chief Williams can be thanked for that.
Chief Williams still won’t let MHP investigate his officer involved killings and he has yet to seriously try to get body cameras for his officers. Governor Nixon still picked Chief Williams to be a member of the P.O.S.T Committee (Peace Officer Standards and Training). Governor Nixon is instructing this selected panel to come up with new rules and ideas to improve police tactical training, fair and impartial policing, and the health and well-being of officers by going around to different cities in Missouri to listen to citizens’ concerns about their law enforcement. Alyssa Wagner from Southwest Missouri cop watchers says “How can the Missouri citizenry trust that Chief Williams will listen to them and give their concerns to the Governor if he won’t be transparent or enact the change in his own PD that the Citizens want to see changed in Missouri’s police departments, like body cameras and outside investigations when a citizen is killed?”
From Alyssa Wagner at Southwest Missouri Cop Watchers: “An email campaign has been made to demand an outside investigation into the killing of Magnum Phillips. Please send this email to each address listed below if you don’t want SPD to investigate themselves yet again.”
[A demand to Chief Williams of Springfield Police Department I am writing to you to demand an independent investigation into the shooting death of Magnum Phillips. We ask that you turn this investigation over to the Missouri Highway Patrol and ask the newly formed Sheriff’s Critical Incident Team to investigate your departments officer involved shooting of Magnum Phillips. Though you feel your department is most qualified to investigate your own officer involved killings that does not mean it is true. You cannot say with all honesty that your department investigating one of its own would be unbiased, because you cannot read the hearts and minds of your employees. So the citizenry cannot say either with 100% certainty that it would indeed be an unbiased thorough investigation. You have told the Springfield News Leader that you are going to form your own multi-jurisdictional group to investigate officer involved killings but have yet to announce your program is ready. Since you obviously support outside investigations into officer involved killings we reiterate our demand that you let an outside agency investigate now.”]
Chief Williams email: Pfwilliams@springfieldmo.gov
Mayor Bob Stephens: rstephens@springfieldmo.gov
Councilwoman Ferguson
Councilman Justin Burnett
Councilman Schilling
Councilman Fishel
Councilwoman Fisk
Councilman Hosmer
Councilwoman Fulnecky
Councilman McClure
https://www.facebook.com/groups/574979972657272/ The Justice for Magnum Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/southwestmissouricopwatchers/ Southwest Missouri Cop Watchers
Springfield Police Department: 321 E Chestnut Expy, Springfield, MO 65802 Phone:(417) 864-1810
Springfield Police Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SGFPolice/
Thanks to all the hard work put in by Alyssa Wagner from Southwest Missouri Cop Watchers that help made this story possible. We appreciate the information and fight for police accountability that she is spearheading in Missouri. We need more strong women like her to join us in obtaining justice for all that are the victims of the Police State.
