Man sentenced for fatal shooting in Northeast Nebraska shooting

HARTINGTON, Neb. (KTIV) – A Louisiana man involved in a fatal shooting in Northeast Nebraska was given his sentence this week after a jury found him guilty of a lesser charge.

Court documents show 22-year-old David Phillips Jr. was sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison to a maximum of 20 years in prison. During his sentencing, Phillips was given credit for 509 days already served, which is over a year taken off his sentence.

Back in April, a jury found Phillips guilty of manslaughter in the death of his co-worker, 31-year-old Israel Matos-Colon. Phillips was originally facing a second-degree murder charge but the charge was dropped to manslaughter. He was also facing one count of use of a deadly firearm and one count of possession of a stolen firearm, but the jury found him not guilty of those charges.

These charges stem from a deadly shooting in Cedar County, Nebraska back in March 2023. Authorities say Phillips shot Matos-Colon multiple times during an altercation at a tower site about two miles from Hartington. Phillips argued the shooting was in self-defense.

Copyright 2024 KTIV. All rights reserved.