On a Sunday morning in September 2020, a tragic series of events unfolded that ended the life of 23-year-old Phillip Jordan Stevens of Morrison, Tennessee. What began as a trip to church with his pregnant wife, Aileen, turned into a harrowing ordeal that concluded with his death in Manchester. The man responsible for the violence was 29-year-old Dangelo Dorsey of St.
Louis, Missouri.
The incident began on Interstate 24 near Beechgrove when Dorsey, for reasons that remain unclear, opened fire inside a vehicle, killing 28-year-old Darcey Johnson and injuring another individual. As traffic came to a halt, Dorsey embarked on a carjacking spree, shooting and injuring two other motorists in the process. He then rear-ended the Ford Mustang carrying Phillip and Aileen Stevens. Believing it was a minor traffic accident, the couple stopped to assess the damage. It was then that Dorsey took them hostage at gunpoint.
Dorsey forced the couple to drive to their home in Morrison, where he stole two firearms and switched vehicles to their blue Toyota RAV4. He then drove them to the McMinnville area. There, in a final, brutal act, Dorsey executed Phillip Stevens in front of his wife. After the murder, Dorsey forced the now-widowed and pregnant Aileen back into the vehicle and fled, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase. The pursuit ended when Dorsey crashed the RAV4. As officers approached the vehicle, Dorsey took his own life. Aileen Stevens was rescued from the car and survived the crash. Investigators later confirmed that Dorsey had an extensive criminal record in Missouri. In the wake of the tragedy, Phillip Stevens was remembered by his family as a hero who had begged the suspect to take his life and spare his wife and unborn child.
