Suspect On The Loose In Gas Station Shooting Is Victim's Ex
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Police are following all leads to find the man suspected of killing a respected attorney at an Arden Hills gas station.
Ty Hoffman is the man police want to find. Friends say he is the ex-boyfriend of the victim, Kelly Phillips.
The shooting happened at the Holiday gas station Monday morning. Witnesses said two men drove into the gas station together and one man got out and shot Phillips three times, and then he drove away.
The car the man drove off in was found about 7 miles north in Blaine, and that's where a tip led police on Tuesday.
Blaine police combed through the wooded area where police found the car involved in the fatal shooting. The land borders the Anoka County Airport, an area that became busy with activity Tuesday afternoon.
"A lot of police, enforcement, SWAT teams, German shepherds, rifles drawn," said Scott Wong, who has a hangar at the airport.
Police were searching for Hoffman. A tip about the whereabouts of Hoffman led investigators to check two hangars.
"There's a hangar with a hangar door open, and the SWAT team is in the hanger and there's a boat with a cover over it and that's all I could see," said Tom Oostdik, who works nearby.
The search ended without finding Hoffman.
While the search continues for Phillips' killer, the man's family is figuring out how to cope with planning a funeral rather than celebrate a wedding.
Phillips' dad said he was to wed his fiancé, Nathon, at the end of the month.
"He's very loving in picking a mate, partner, who's very caring, very loving," Jim Phillips said.
The Iowa-born Phillips came from a close family of six. Just two weeks ago, he helped his parents move.
"Expressed his love of his parents to us and we were very appreciative of that," Jim Phillips said.
Phillips and Hoffman founded Lush Food Bar in northeast Minneapolis together 5 years ago. A spokesperson for Lush said Hoffman has not been involved with the bar in nearly a year.
