Former Prichard Police Officer Pleads Guilty on Gun Charges
By Dale Hines
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
May 20, 2026
MOBILE, AL. Former Prichard police officer Ryan Spencer Phillips has pleaded guilty to federal gun charges but remains under investigation in a shooting incident.
Phillips admitted in court Tuesday that guns found at his home by investigators during a homicide investigation had been stolen. Investigators found 14 guns and Phillips admitted that four of those were stolen.
Police originally had gone to the home of Phillips in February where San Juanita Coronado had been shot to death.
While there, investigators learned that the two lived together at the home on Wesley Avenue and that Phillips, 35, admitted to pulling the trigger in a 911 call.
Although Phillips admitted to the shooting, investigators chose not to make an arrest and instead sent their investigation to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office to be reviewed for possible prosecution.
Phillips told investigators that he was moving out and that she grabbed a gun and then barricaded herself with one of his guns and threatened to shoot him.
Normally, in these types of cases, if the district attorneys believes that there’s probable cause to proceed, it’s sent to a grand jury for an indictment.
Prosecutors have indicated that they intend to recommend a sentence at the high end of advisory guidelines.
In Alabama, stealing or knowingly receiving a stolen firearm is a Class C felony, regardless of the weapon’s value. A conviction carries a penalty of 1 to 10 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.
According to Phillips’ written plea agreement, he met Coronado while both worked together at Airbus Defense and Space. He described their relationship as “best friends.” He moved into the home on Wesley Avenue when Coronado bought it in 2022, according to court documents.
The one-time police officer is now a convicted felon.
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