In the quiet community of Wilmer, Alabama, a young man's life was cut short on the evening of April 21, 2025. Landon Lee Phillips, a 20-year-old male, was fatally shot while inside his car on Trace Lane. The incident, which shattered the evening's calm around 8:00 p.m., stemmed from a heated argument. Witnesses reported that Phillips was arguing with another individual when Jason Coington, 42, emerged from his house with a shotgun, demanding that Phillips leave his property.
As Phillips
attempted to drive away, Coington allegedly fired his shotgun twice. One shot struck behind the tire of Phillips's car, but the second proved fatal. After being shot, Phillips's vehicle crashed into a nearby home, causing significant damage but no other injuries. When neighbors and authorities reached the car, they found Landon Phillips deceased. He was lovingly awaiting the arrival of his first child with his girlfriend, Diana Perrotta. His family remembered him as a beautiful soul with a kind, loving, and caring personality who enjoyed fishing, riding his dirt bike, and spending time with his family and friends.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Jason Coington was arrested and charged with murder, shooting into an occupied vehicle, and being a certain person forbidden to carry a firearm. Coington, who has a history of encounters with law enforcement dating back to 2002, initially left the scene but later returned and spoke with investigators. He claimed that Phillips was known to carry guns and alleged that Phillips had previously shot up a boat in his backyard; however, the Mobile County Sheriff's Office had no record of such a report. Following his arrest, a judge set Coington's bond.
