Protesters demand justice for police shooting victims

A gathering in Chico City Plaza remembers victims fatally shot by Chico police officers

Sixteen bullets exploded from the guns’ barrels that night. About 10 pierced Desmond Phillips’ upper body while his father screamed, “No don’t shoot my baby!”

David Phillips would later say he watched his son’s 160-pound body lock-up from being tased and fall lifelessly to the ground while being shot by two Chico police officers in his home.

Phillips called an ambulance for his son on March 17 — as he had done two times before. Desmond, 25, was “dancing” and pacing in the living room about to have a PTSD-related episode while his father and nephews were in two other rooms. When medics responded, he was uncooperative.

Police arrived soon after when the medics called for backup. David Phillips later called the dispatcher to disclose that Desmond had a knife. Officers kicked down the door, told him to drop the knife, tased him and proceeded to shoot, Phillips said.

“They just kept shooting him,” he said. 

He relives it every day. Phillips’ eyes dulled while he pinched and tugged on his shirt to imitate the rippling motion his son’s shirt made as each of the 10 bullets hit him.

“They murdered my baby,” he said. “They shot him in his face. They shot him in the neck. They shot him in his heart. They shot him in his chest. They murdered him.”

Phillips said he knew his son was dead before his body hit the floor.

“He didn't deserve to be murdered for having a mental disorder,” he said. “Sixteen times, that's hate.”

Portraits of Desmond Phillips created by local artists for a 1078 Gallery pop-up show at The Butchershop performance were displayed at the gathering. (Bianca Quilantan -- Chico Report)

On Sept. 17 — six months after Desmond’s death — a gathering was held in remembrance of Desmond and others who have been fatally shot in Butte County by police officers. 

Family members, community members and the fathers of two others who have been fatally shot joined the gathering to support the Phillips family.

Phillips said he wanted the event to be one of love.

“Desmond started this,” he said. “He moved in with me and said ‘Dad, what do you want to do? A father and son thing.’ I said whatever you want to do son, I’m with you. He came up with feeding the mentally ill, the homeless and whoever else every Sunday after church. I’m carrying it on in honor of my son.”

Folding tables were set out under the shade from the trees in the plaza. They were lined with grilled hot dogs, fruit salad, corn tortilla chips and other dishes brought by the Phillips family to feed the homeless and anyone else.

Next to the food was a memorial table with flowers for Desmond. Portraits of him from a 1078 Gallery pop-up show at The Butchershop performance also hung nearby on a wooden pallet display. Poetry was read and gospel songs were sung. And a graffiti wall allowed people to leave notes for the family and the cause.

During the event, three fathers of three people fatally shot by police in Butte County spoke about their encounters. In two of the cases, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey concluded the shootings were justified.

At a press briefing, he said the two responding officers shot Desmond Phillips because they feared for their lives and the lives of the Phillips’ family. They appeared to be trapped inside with Desmond, who had a knife.

Ramsey said a knife attack is considered lethal. He announced that the officers “performed consistent with their training and experience when faced with lethal force.”

Phillips said he believes the officers lacked training when it came to mental health related cases. He does not accept Ramsey’s finding and wants an outside investigation of the shooting.

“I will not rest until they (Chico police officers) have been brought up and have been held accountable for murdering my son,” Phillips said. “The only way they’re going to silence me is if they do the same thing they did to my son — murder me.”

David Phillips, the father of 25-year-old Desmond Phillips who was fatally shot by Chico police officers, says he will not rest until he gets justice for his son. (Bianca Quilantan -- Chico Report)

Phillips said he is keeping the fight alive for Desmond along with others who were also fatally shot, including Breanne Sharpe and Tyler Rushing.

Sharpe’s father, James, attended and took the stage after Phillips. Breanne Sharpe, 19, was fatally shot by Chico police as she was reportedly attempting to flee from them during a vehicle pursuit on Sept. 22, 2013.

Sharpe, who had a mental health condition, was fired at 19 times by several Chico police officers. Her fatal shooting was later ruled justified by Ramsey. He said Sharpe drove at police officers, forcing them to defend themselves.

“My daughter was murdered,” James Sharpe said. “They shot at her 19 times, they hit her three. It’s like the wild wild west. They hit houses, bus stops and cars. This isn’t a black and white thing, it’s a human thing. It’s something that we need to bring awareness about.”

Sharpe said he will never understand the outcome of Ramsey’s internal investigation of the incident.

“It should be outside arbitrated,” he said. “It should not have anyone from Butte County deciding whether it’s justified.”

David Phillips thanks James Sharpe for speaking to a crowd of close to 100  people about his 19-year-old daughter, Breanne's fatal shooting by Chico police officers. (Bianca Quilantan -- Chico Report)

Scott Rushing nervously stepped up to the plaza stage after Sharpe. His son’s death is the most recent fatal police shooting in Chico. A Butte County investigation into the incident hasn’t been completed.

He said it has been about eight weeks since his 34-year-old son, Tyler, was fatally shot by Chico police and a private armed security guard during a burglary investigation in July.

“I remember we spoke before he left Ventura; we’re from Southern California,” he said. “And as he was leaving, my son said to me ‘love you dad’ and I said love you too. Fortunately, those are the last words I said to my son.”

Rushing said eight weeks after the shooting, he is still grieving.

“When someone is jerked out of your life, it leaves such a hole,” he said. “Of course I miss Tyler and I’m grieving. I will never see my only son again, and that’s hard.”

Other means of nonlethal force should be used before a lethal force is used, he said.

“They’ve got bean bags, pepper spray, dogs and batons,” Rushing said. “The last thing should be a bullet. An inexpensive bullet can take the life of our children or us — an inexpensive piece of metal. That’s outrageous.”

Scott Rushing says his son Tyler's police fatal shooting is still being investigated by Butte County.  (Bianca Quilantan -- Chico Report)

Vince Haynie, a supporter of Justice for Desmond, has known the Phillips family for over 20 years. He said the Justice for Desmond Campaign is still strongly advocating for an external investigation. It asked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to investigate the fatal shootings in Butte County, specifically Desmond Phillips’ case.

“This issue concerning the killing of Desmond is not over,” Haynie said. “That’s why the campaign for Desmond is going to continue to move forward on bringing awareness of what really happened. We know you have law enforcement reports, but there’s always two sides to a story. There’s a side they probably don’t want you to know, which is going to be revealed as we move forward.”

David Phillips stands in front of a graffiti wall that displays notes remembering Desmond Phillips and encouragement for the Justice for Desmond Campaign. (Bianca Quilantan -- Chico Report)