CHARLESTON, W.Va. — House of Delegates Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle says two Huntington men died early Friday morning trying to help someone else.
Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, asked for a moment of silence during Monday’s floor session in remembrance of Adrian Phillips, 26, and Phillips’ brother, Derious Johnson, 39.
The pair died from gunshot wounds suffered in a 14th Street parking lot at around 2:30 a.m. Friday. A third man was injured and remains hospitalized in stable condition.
U.S. Marshals, working with Huntington police investigators, arrested Kevante White. 27, of Akron, Ohio, Sunday in Ohio and charged him with two counts of first degree murder and one count of malicious wounding.
“This past weekend the city and community of Huntington experienced a huge loss to senseless gun violence in an attempt defend and protect other people,” Hornbuckle said.
Phillips worked for the City of Huntington, his other brother, who Hornbuckle referred to as “DJ” coached the St. Joe’s Middle School boy’s basketball team.
“A lifelong friend of mine,” Hornbuckle said about Johnson. “He was a father of three, an avid Dallas Cowboy fan and an up and coming basketball coach who just recently won the middle school county basketball championship for St. Joe Middle.”
Huntington Police Captain Ryan Bentley, the commander of the department’s Criminal Investigations, said responding officers arrived at a chaotic scene early Friday morning.
“There was a little bit of mayhem. It was outside a bar, as you can imagine, there’s a lot of people and emotions were high. The initial (priority) is to try and get them aid,” Bentley said Monday on MetroNews Midday.
He declined comment when asked if Phillips and Johnson were shot while trying to protect the third man from White. The third man has not been identified.
Bentley did say the investigation would continue to be a top priority.
“This is a large undertaking with a lot of moving parts,” Bentley said.
White is being held in the Stark County (OH) Jail awaiting extradition.