07-05-2025
Knoxville man charged in drive-by shooting that resulted in him shooting himself in the leg, police say
KNOXVILLE, Iowa — A Knoxville man has been charged in a late-night drive-by shooting in Knoxville that resulted in him shooting himself in the leg, police say.
At around 1:50 a.m. Tuesday the Knoxville Police Department received a report from a resident saying they had Ring doorbell footage of someone shooting at a home in the 1400 block of N Grant Street and again at an intersection further down the street, court documents say. The shooting resulted in the exterior pane of a window at a home on N Grant Street to shatter.
Later that night, a man named Payton Lee Cole Phillips, 27, arrived at the Knoxville Emergency Room with a gunshot wound. According to court documents, Phillips was identified as the alleged shooter in the drive-by earlier that night. No other injuries were reported from the shooting.
The driver of the vehicle involved in the drive-by shooting told police that Phillips was in the front passenger seat and fired a handgun out of the window about four to five times in what was described as 'a random act of violence' in a criminal complaint. During the shooting Phillips unintentionally shot himself in the leg, the complaint states.
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Officers searched the vehicle that was allegedly used in the shooting and located a Glock 43X, which is believed to be the handgun used by Phillips, as well as two loaded magazines, raw marijuana flower, and a used marijuana grinder, court documents state. Officers also located a spent 9 mm shell casing in the hospital parking lot and three spent 9 mm shell casings at the intersection of Grant St. and Jackson St.
According to a criminal complaint, when officers initially spoke with Phillips at the hospital, they noted he had a strong odor of alcohol, blood shot and watery eyes, droopy eyelids, and slurred speech.
Phillips was arrested and charged with the following:
Intimidation with a dangerous weapon – no intent
Reckless use of a firearm – bodily injury
Reckless use of a firearm – property damage
Reckless use of a firearm
Possession or carrying of a dangerous weapon while under the influence
Person ineligible to carry a dangerous weapon
Use of a dangerous weapon in the commissions of a crime
Possession of marijuana – first offense
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Phillips was booked into the Marion County Jail on a $17,000 cash/surety bond. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for May 15.
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