In the early morning hours of Friday, September 20, 2013, the quiet of a Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood was broken by the sound of gunfire. Officers from the South Precinct were dispatched to 3652 Clairmont Avenue around 6 a.m. to investigate a report of shots fired. However, upon their arrival, the scene was deceptively calm, with no one and no suspicious activity to be found. The initial peace was short-lived. About twenty minutes after the first call, a second report came in, this time of a deceased person inside one of the apartments at the same address.
Responding to the second call, officers discovered the body of 23-year-old Derrek Wade Phillips. The young man, a white male, was found unresponsive inside his apartment. Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel were summoned to the scene and pronounced him deceased. The circumstances of his death immediately launched a homicide investigation.
As detectives began to process the scene of the city's latest homicide, they encountered another unexpected and dangerous element. A strong chemical odor emanated from within the apartment, leading to the discovery of what appeared to be an active methamphetamine laboratory. The presence of potentially hazardous chemicals forced a temporary suspension of the homicide investigation. The Birmingham Police Department's Narcotics Unit was called in to confirm the nature of the lab and safely dismantle it before detectives could continue their work.
The investigation into the death of Derrek Phillips was complex from the start, combining a homicide with the illegal production of narcotics. Despite the initial report of shots fired, authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific cause of his death. In the days following the discovery, law enforcement officials appealed to the public for any information that might shed light on the events leading to the young man's death. However, information regarding any suspects or arrests in connection with the homicide of Derrek Phillips has not been made available. The case, shrouded by the dangerous discovery of a meth lab, left a family to mourn and a community with unanswered questions.
