“This case is really sad for all involved,” said District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch. “This shooting was avoidable, unnecessary, and constituted a gross overreaction on the part of Mr. Fuller.”

On April 22, 2017, Phillips texted Fuller and asked for a ride to the store and Fuller agreed. He often gave Phillips rides to work and other places. A few minutes later, Fuller arrived at 271 Prevost Street in Waynesville to pick Phillips up. What happened next appears to be disputed among witnesses.

Chris Phillips and his girlfriend were having a verbal argument about his stolen cell phone at the time. Phillips slammed the front door shut, it bounced open, and he shut it again. Yelling could be heard between the couple. For some reason, Fuller got out of his car and approached Phillips. He had his Springfield M&P .45 caliber pistol on his side. A few second later Phillips was mortally wounded, shot six times.

Fuller is of small stature, and he always open-carried a firearm for protection because the neighborhood is rough and he felt the need to be armed at all times. After the shooting, Fuller asserted self-defense, claiming that Phillips had grabbed him by the arm and would not stop coming at him. He said Phillips must have felt threatened by the presence of his gun, when he was interviewed by the Waynesville Police Department. Fuller stated he was scared and just freaked out. However, Phillips girlfriend told investigators that she heard Phillips say, “Put that up, we’re okay, what are you doing?” She didn’t see any altercation between the two men. Fuller emptied his firearm into Phillips.

After the shooting, Phillips’ girlfriend rushed to him, trying to render aid and call 911. Fuller drove off around the corner to his residence. He told his wife what happened, called his grandmother, and then held his 4 step-daughter, crying himself, until police arrived. He surrendered without incident and agreed to an interview by Det. Bryan Reeves and Lt. Chris Chandler.

After describing the incident to law enforcement, Chandler picked up on an important detail. Fuller said that Phillips backed up as he pulled his gun. Chandler asked, “You pulled your gun. He’s backing up. Why is your life in danger? Why are you in fear? You’re the one with the gun. Explain that to me.”

“I didn’t mean to shoot him!” replied Fuller.

In describing the incident to Superior Court Judge Marvin Pope, Assistant District Attorney Jeff Jones highlighted that Phillips was unarmed and on his own property. “By all accounts, Mr. Fuller over-reacted to what he perceived as a domestic violence event.” In fact, it was known that Phillips and his girlfriend often argued loudly but, as Jones pointed out, his girlfriend denied that an assault had occurred between the couple, and Phillips had no record of arrests for assaultive behavior.

Deborah Phillips, the mother of Chris Phillips, delivered a letter to the court. In it, she described how Chris had told her the night before, “…what a nice guy Justin Fuller was and how he had a wife and children and was a good man.” She further stated that, “I am broken and cannot recover from this senseless act!” Phillips, 38 at the time of his death, leaves behind a loving family including two daughters.

Fuller was sentenced to 180 to 228 months in prison for the murder.

“I’m so grateful for the hard work of the Waynesville Police Department,” said Welch. “They were able to take apart Mr. Fuller’s claim of self-defense and this resulted in a guilty plea. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Deborah Phillips and the rest of Chris’ family.”