A man was shot and killed after the estranged boyfriend of his child’s mother opened fire at a graduation party.
His daughter, Destiny Tobias, says it’s a day she’ll never forget.
“Everybody was happy. Everybody was having a good time,” Destiny said.
Destiny said her family held an afterparty for her and she and her father, Adam Tobias, danced the night away, smiling from ear to ear.
That was moments before her mother’s estranged boyfriend, Philip Arning, reportedly opened fire inside the party, killing her father.
“I came running down the stairs, and I heard my mom screaming. As I’m going down the stairs, he [Philip Arning] grabs me and says there’s nothing to worry about,” Destiny said. “I’m crying and begging and saying ‘It’s not real... He’s going to come back.’ And that it’s all going to be OK. I could not leave his body.”
Destiny said her father and Arning got into an argument before the shooting. She added that her father wanted to spend more time with her, but Arning wanted people to leave.
“He was telling everybody what to do, to shut down the party. But he didn’t put one penny in it, he wasn’t supposed to be there,” Destiny added.
Destiny’s stepmother, Neftaly Perez, rushed over to the party after getting the horrific call about her husband of 16 years.
“I wanted to help him. I wanted to be able to save him. [But] he was already gone,” said Perez.
Police arrested Arning, charging him with murder, but he was released after posting a $50,000.
Arning’s next court date is set for Aug. 24, 2023.
“It makes me angry that he gets to go home and be with his parents and his family. And our kids and his daughter are left without our loved one,” said Perez.
Destiny said her dad was loving, kind and always made her laugh.
Their favorite saying, ‘You know it’s going to be us two versus the world,’ is now tattooed on her body.
KPRC 2 reached out to Arning’s private attorney for comment but has not heard back.
The Tobias family is holding a fundraiser to help with funeral expenses on June 3 at 10 a.m. at McCarty’s Ice House at 503 McCarty St., Houston, TX 77029.
A GoFundMe has also been created for the family.