Two men accused in wild shoot out at Delaware soccer tournament held for trial

Two of the men arrested in the wild July 8th shoot out at Eden Park in Wilmington will be charged with first degree murder in the shooting deaths of 47 year old Herman Curry and 16 year old Alexander Kamara.

Otis Phillips and Jefferery Phillips (no relation) were both in a Wilmington court room Tuesday as the Delaware Attorney-General’s laid out the case against them.

Detective Peter Leccia, of the Wilmington Police homicide unit, testified eyewitnesses saw both men get out a car near Eden Park while an adult soccer tournament was underway. He said that Otis Phillips seemed to give a signal to Jeffery before the shooting began. Otis Phillips is accused of shooting Curry at point blank range. Kamara was shot in the head and is not believed to have been a target. Another man, Omar Brumfield, was wounded at the tournament site.

Wilmington Police had reported that afternoon that some of the people in the crowd returned fire when the first shots were fired by the Phillips’.  There was a third man waiting in the car, Sheldon Olge.  He was killed by the gunfire.  Police have not said who shot Olge.  In court today, police said there were 46 gun shell casings at the scene when the gunfire ended.

The two defendants were side by side, but at different tables during the morning hearing. The two men did not look at each other during the hearing. Otis Phillips remain emotionless during the hearing. Jefferey Phillips would shake his head during different points of Detective Leccia’s testimony.

While he was in court today Otis Phillips was also charged with the January 2008 murder of Christopher Palmer. Palmer was a bouncer at a birthday party for Herman Curry.  The News Journal had reported previously that it was that shooting and murder that was the link between Otis Phillips and Herman Curry that finally ended at that soccer tournament in Eden Park.