18-year-old accused of murder in Independence drive-by that killed one

Bill Lukitsch
·2 min read

An 18-year-old is facing four felonies related to the killing of a man in Independence.

Brayden A. Stone, of Independence, is charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful weapon use, prosecutors announced Thursday. Stone is accused of killing 38-year-old Timothy A. Phillips, who was fatally shot in a drive-by last week.

On Jan. 13, Independence police officers were dispatched just before 10:30 a.m. to the 300 block of North Leslie Avenue on a reported shooting. Arriving officers found Phillips sitting in his vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken by ambulance to Centerpoint Hospital, where he died two days later.

At the scene of the shooting, police spoke with a witness who told police she knew the victim and watched the shooting unfold. She told them she had just hugged Phillips and was getting ready to say good-byes when a dark-colored SUV pulled up beside them, court records state.

Phillips and another man argued and appeared prepared to fight, the witness told police. Shortly after the rear window of the SUV was rolled down, a handgun was brandished and several gunshots rang out. The SUV then fled the scene.

The witness alluded to a recent dispute between Phillips and another man. There had been talk of fighting before the three suspects arrived on the block, the witness told police.

An Independence detective was familiar with a person believed to have been in the SUV that day, according to court records. A call to that person’s probation officer was made, which led police to an address in Higginsville, where an SUV resembling the one described to police was found.

Stone was taken into police custody in Higginsville alongside two other suspects, according to court records. A spent shell casing was found in Stone’s pocket that matched four others found at the shooting scene, authorities allege.

During an interview with police, Stone allegedly admitted to shooting Phillips. Stone claimed that he shot Phillips after Phillips produced a gun, and then threw his own gun out of the car window as they drove to Higginsville, according to court records.

No gun was recovered on or near Phillips at the scene of the shooting, Independence police said.

Stone has been held in Jackson County jail since his arrest on suspicion of armed criminal action last week. Prosecutors added the murder charge following the death of Phillips.

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