Inset: Terrence R. Phillips (Clay County Jail). Background: Wendy”s in Kansas City, Missouri, where Phillips allegedly shot a customer (Google Maps).
A manager at a Wendy’s in Missouri is facing accusations of shooting a customer after a heated exchange at the drive-thru, despite video evidence suggesting otherwise.
Terrence R. Phillips, 47, has been charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon, according to a statement from the Clay County Prosecutor’s Office.
The incident unfolded around 11:30 p.m. on March 20, when Kansas City police arrived at the North Oak Trafficway Wendy’s following reports of a shooting. Officers discovered the victim, who was heavily bleeding from the chest. Before being taken to the hospital, the victim identified the shooter as someone resembling a manager.
The victim recounted leaving his home to fetch food for his family, only to encounter confusion at the drive-thru. As he approached the intercom to place his order, an employee instructed him to drive to the window, leaving him perplexed and seeking clarification.
According to the affidavit, the victim described receiving a “rude response” from Phillips, which persisted when he reached the window. After receiving his order and drinks in a holder, he drove off, only for the drinks to spill. He circled back to complain, but the staff allegedly ignored him.
Subsequently, he noticed Phillips standing outside. It’s alleged that Phillips then brandished a firearm and shot the customer in the shoulder, with the bullet exiting through his chest.
According to the affidavit, surveillance video from the restaurant showed Phillips walk outside to the parking lot and to his car. There was a “faint image of a muzzle flash” before Phillips walked back into the restaurant, apparently carrying a gun in his left pocket, cops wrote. Officers say they later recovered the gun from the walk-in freezer.
After receiving his Miranda warnings, Phillips allegedly explained he had the victim pull up to the window because they have to cook the chicken fresh when it’s toward the end of the night. He said he gave the victim food and they “exchanged words,” cops wrote. Phillips said the man returned to the window and “started yelling racial slurs at him,” the affidavit stated.
Phillips said he noticed the hatch on his car was open so he walked outside to close it. The man drove up to Phillips, who allegedly told him to “get the f— on.”
“Phillips stated that he did not shoot anyone, does not know anything about a gun or why there would be a gun that was recovered in the restaurant,” cops wrote.
Officers took Phillips to the Clay County Jail, where he remains on a $1 million bond. He has a hearing set for March 31.
