William Phillips Convicted in 2023 Daytona Bar Shooting

33-year-old William Luther Phillips was convicted at the conclusion of a two-day trial in Volusia County this week in connection to a Daytona Beach bar shooting in March 2023. The case was overseen by Circuit Judge Kathryn D. Weston. Phillips was charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and possession of a firearm by a convicted in-state felon. According to prosecutors Phillips was at The Joint, a  bar on Seabreeze Blvd on March 18th, 2023 when the incident occurred. An apparent confrontation arose between Phillips and several other individuals, leading to physical confrontations. After this, multiple groups reportedly drove away to the campus of Daytona’s Bethune-Cookman University, where they attended school. The victims were a 21-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman. They were with two other B-CU students, sitting in a car near Joe Harris Park at the time. The two victims were shot, with the man winding up paralyzed from the waist down while the woman fortunately has recovered from her injuries after treatment at the Halifax Health Medical Center. The Daytona Beach Police Department responded to the shooting and conducted an investigation, which the State Attorney’s Office for Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit credits with helping them bring a successful case against Phillips. “Gun violence robbed one victim of their ability to walk and our other victim mercifully has fully recovered,” said State Attorney R.J. Larizza in a news release. “The defendant should spend the rest of his life behind bars.” Phillips has been in custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail since being booked on September 22nd, 2023. He has no prior arrest records in Volusia County’s database. Daytona Beach police officers first identified Phillips as their main suspect on March 20th, 2023. Phillips’ sentencing is set for August 8th, 2025. He’s facing a penalty of up to life in prison for the crimes he was convicted of on Thursday.