A Louisiana man has been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for killing his co-worker in March of last year.
David Phillips Jr. was sentenced to two to 20 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter by Judge Bryan Meismer in Cedar County District Court this week for killing Israel Matos-Colon, 31, on March 1, 2023.
The shooting took place at 56329 885th Road northeast of Hartington during the morning. According to an FCC registration search, the tower is owned by Cedar County.
Both men worked for Iowa-based BULT Wireless, a telecoms company that no longer exists.
Phillips, 22, was initially facing a second-degree murder charge, before it was amended to manslaughter.
He also faced one count of use of a deadly firearm and one count of possession of a stolen firearm, but was found not guilty of those charges.
Phillips was given credit for 509 days served, meaning he will be eligible for parole early next year.
On the day of the shooting, it was noted in court that two BULT Wireless crews went to the site that morning, including Phillips and Matos-Colon.
It's alleged that Matos-Colon expressed concern to others there about climbing the tower with Phillips, leading to a verbal altercation between the two, which required colleagues to separate the duo, said Assistant Nebraska Attorney General Mary Marcum, when the trial went to court earlier this year.
The two split up for a few minutes before the argument continued. Shortly after this, someone was heard to say "mom," before a series of gunshots went off. One witness then saw Matos-Colon running, while Phillips went the opposite direction.
Shortly after firing, Phillips wandered around for a couple of minutes before stating that Matos-Colon had said something about his mother.
One coworker applied CPR to Matos-Colon, who was struggling to breathe, and another employee searched for a first aid kit.
According to a pathologist who testified in court, Matos-Colon died from gunshot wounds to his torso and right leg.
It's reported that a witness told investigators that Phillips apologized to Matos-Colon while CPR was being performed.
Other witnesses, however, noted that Phillips had asked others at the scene if they were going to give him a ride away from the work site or call the police.
One of the workers called 911 and informed the company's vice president, Ashlee Verhoek, who wasn't at the site at the time.
Law enforcement arrived shortly after before Matos-Colon was transported to a hospital in Yankton. He was pronounced dead soon after at 10:19 am.
Police located six empty 9mm shell casings and one live round at the cell tower site. Phillips' cell phone showed photos of him holding a Glock firearm before the day of the shooting.
Estimated Wireless reports that a jury pool of more than 100 people was assembled for the trial.
According to LinkedIn, BULT Wireless employed between 11 to 50 people and was a provider of telecommunications infrastructure construction services. The website for the company, which was founded in 2021, is no longer active.