In the early hours of an autumn morning in Muncie, Indiana, the life of 23-year-old Eddie Demarcus Phillips was cut short. On October 12, 2016, Phillips, a male resident of the city, was fatally shot in the 700 block of South Hackley Street. The incident, which marked the third homicide in Muncie in a span of just five days, unfolded around 1:29 a.m. Phillips was rushed to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:35 a.m.
from multiple gunshot wounds.
Shortly after the shooting, a 20-year-old man approached law enforcement officers and informed them that he was the one who had shot Phillips. The man cooperated with the police investigation and was taken in for questioning. He claimed that he had acted in self-defense. According to police reports, the shooter alleged that he had been lured to the location and that he fired at Phillips as he approached him displaying a handgun. Following his interview with city police, the man was released from custody.
The case was then handed over to the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office, which was tasked with reviewing the evidence and determining whether criminal charges would be filed against the shooter. At the time of the initial reports, police noted that the incident appeared to be a case of self-defense, but the final decision rested with the prosecutor. Online sources available do not contain information on whether any arrests were formally made or if any charges were ultimately filed in the death of Eddie Demarcus Phillips. The final outcome of the prosecutorial review has not been publicly detailed in the available online information.
