Fiancé Of Lawyer Gunned Down At Gas Station Speaks Out
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- For the first time, the fiancé of Kelly Phillips, the man gunned down in a gas station parking lot earlier this week, talked about his loss.
"My heart has been ripped out and torn into so many pieces. The love and bond between Kelly and I is something I never knew could exist. I often wondered what I did to deserve his love. He is my everything. He is so kind, selfless," Nathon Bailey told the Star Tribune.
Click here to listen to his entire statement.
What makes the loss more difficult for family is that Kelly's killer hasn't been caught. Police are looking for his ex, Ty Hoffman. There is now a $1,000 reward for tips that lead to his arrest. Police think the two men were together at the Arden Hills gas station on Monday when the Boston Scientific lawyer, and Lush Food Bar owner, was shot and then run over.
On Thursday, customers returned to Lush for the first time since the murder.
"He had become really proud of this place," said Nathon's brother, Adam Bailey.
Adam is stepping in for his brother.
"My brother adored him and loved him,"" Adam said.
In death, Kelly left the decision making to his fiancé, and his brother is helping him move forward with what Kelly would have wanted.
"He knew that Kelly was worried about the employees here," Adam said. "And that it would have been important to him to get this back up, so that these people are being paid, that they're able to take care of their families."
Nathon and Kelly were looking forward to the 5-year anniversary of Lush in northeast Minneapolis this weekend.
Adam said the party will go on as Kelly planned.
"We don't know where it's going to go going forward, we just know right now that we wanted to get it back open for this weekend, for the 5th anniversary because, again, Kelly was so excited to have it open this weekend," Adam said.
Police are still searching for Hoffman in connection with Kelly's murder. Hoffman is Kelly's former long-time partner and co-founder of Lush. We're told he hasn't had ties to the business in nearly a year.
"Anybody that has any information on his whereabouts, or where he might go or where he would be, please, please call Ramsey County," Adam said.
He stressed that they've taken extra precautions to ensure people are safe at Lush. And he said his brother is also taking security measures in the days moving forward.
Adam said that at some point they will hold a memorial for Phillips, but they don't feel this weekend's celebration is the right time.