At nearly 7 feet tall, Derick Phillips was an imposing figure, but friends and family mourning his death knew him as “the gentle giant.”
Phillips was allegedly gunned down at the Brickhouse Lounge in DeSoto last week following an argument about lounge rules. Authorities arrested Toussel Kuhn, 48, for the fatal shooting and charged him with the murder, according to the DeSoto Police.
Days after the tragedy, those who knew Phillips remain devastated at the senseless act of violence that cut short the club security officer’s life. They continually ask a question that might never be answered: “Why?”
“Yeah, a friend of mine who is close to the victim is just devastated about what happened,” said Will Jordan, a friend of those who knew Phillips, in an interview with The Dallas Express.
The incident leading to Phillips’ death allegedly began with a confrontation at the establishment in the 2000 block of North Hampton Road.
Security guard Phillips worked at clubs around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Friday, he confronted Kuhn about smoking inside the building, telling him “to take the cigarette outside,” DeSoto Police Lieutenant Chris Huerta said in an email, citing security footage and witness statements.
Footage showed tensions escalated between the two until Kuhn allegedly shot Phillips multiple times. A bystander reportedly returned fire, striking Kuhn as he fled the scene in an unidentified vehicle. He eventually crashed the car in the nearby town of Glenn Heights.
Kuhn was transported to a local hospital for treatment and is now in custody. Huerta reported there was no indication that Kuhn could not legally own a firearm.