Man convicted of murder in 2020 shooting death in Waterloo

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A man who said he shot another Waterloo man last year in self-defense has been convicted of first-degree murder. The Courier reports that a jury convicted 29-year-old Stephen Devon Phillips on Wednesday in the killing of 30-year-old Terrell Bernard Flowers on May 15, 2020. Phillips took the stand during his trial last week, saying Flowers had knocked him to the floor during a fight, strangled him and then stood over him with a gun before Phillips pulled his own gun and shot Flowers. But investigators say the shooting followed an earlier argument between the two and that Phillips had threatened to carry out a shooting. He faces a mandatory term of life in prison when he’s sentenced at a later date.