HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A man seen on video shooting a father outside his daughter’s graduation party was found not guilty by a jury Friday.
Philip Arning had been indicted on a murder charge in connection with the May 2023 shooting of Adam Tobias, whose family says they’re outraged by the verdict.
“The moment I heard ‘not guilty,’ I was back at that night, back when I seen his body on the ground,” the victim’s daughter, Destiny Tobias, said.
“It broke us. It’s like having to go hearing that he’s dead again,” the victim’s wife, Neftaly Perez, said.
Adam Tobias had been celebrating Destiny’s graduation at her mother’s southeast Houston home.
A seven-second video clip provided by Tobias’ family shows him arguing with Destiny’s mother outside.
Arning, the mother’s estranged boyfriend, then appears and shoots Adam multiple times after Adam takes a step toward Arning and says, “You think I’m scared?”
“He could have called 911,” Adam’s sister, Mary, said. “He could have called my niece downstairs to control your dad, to leave. But he chose not to do that. He chose just to come downstairs and shoot my brother cold-blooded.”
“The whole thing wasn’t fair,” Destiny said. “Like it’s okay to go shoot someone for no reason. It’s okay. And you just go back and live your life like nothing.”
Arning’s attorney didn’t return an email seeking comment, but police said in 2023 that Arning admitted to shooting Adam. Adam’s family said Arning argued the shooting was self-defense in court.
“He’s gone, and nobody’s gonna pay for it? Like, it’s just okay. It’s okay for somebody to shoot somebody and then claim self-defense, and then that’s it,” Perez said.
“I just don’t understand,” Mary said. “I don’t know how he (Arning) can sleep at night.”
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