Washington man recovering after he was shot in mouth by armed robbers

PARKLAND, Wash. — A Washington man is recovering at home after he was shot in the mouth by armed robbers on Friday.

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According to KIRO, Matthew Phillips was getting ready to take his daughter, Bailey, 3, to daycare when he said a man with an AR-15-like rifle came up come from behind an RV. Phillips said the man allegedly held the rifle to the back window where Bailey was sitting and asked for money. The man then made his way to the driver’s side of the truck and Phillips quickly was able to get the rifle away from him.

Phillips told KIRO that he got into his truck and put the truck in gear. Suddenly, the man was in front of him. The man told him he needed to stop so he tried to back up the truck but that was when the man fired multiple rounds into the truck, one of them hitting him in the mouth.

Even though he was shot, Phillips got up and said he was able to hold the robber down until the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department arrived, according to KIRO. Residents in the area tried to step in to help Phillips until a 17-year-old girl went into his truck, grabbed the rifle and tried to threaten him.

According to KIRO, the teen girl cooperated with the PCSD deputies and both her and the man were taken into custody.

Phillips’ tongue needed stitches and he lost a few teeth, KIRO said. He is expected to recover. He is planning to move out of the area, according to KIRO.

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