Philly nursing home residents say violent 2016 attack could have been prevented

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Residents of a Philadelphia nursing home for the disabled said management failed to protect them, and a brutal attack in late 2016 could've been prevented.

Wade Booth was walking into the Inglis House on the 2600 block of Belmont when Shon Phillips confronted him and pounced. Phillips repeatedly stabbed Booth with a knife sharpener and a screwdriver.

The blows were so violent that the handle on the sharpener broke.

Phillips then kicked and beat the mentally disabled Booth. The attack lasted for three agonizing minutes.

"I thought I was going to die. I thought he was going to kill me," said Booth.

Booth and another resident at Inglis House, Will Quinones, said Phillips was a ticking time bomb.

"He would sit out there in the hallways and just look for a victim," Quinones said.

Quinones is a longtime resident of Inglis House. He said Phillips would often sit in the hallways drinking Jack Daniels out of a bottle, and threatened him on several occasions. He stormed into his unit on one occasion.

"And I am like, 'this is a grown man and I am in a wheelchair.' I was just scared for my life. I was trying to get him out of my apartment," recalled Quinones.

Prior to the attack, Quinones called police on several occasions, but no charges were ever filed. He also filed several complaints with security and management at Inglis House.

"The only thing they told me was 'go get a restraining order,'" Quinones said.

Wade Booth and his brother Tim believe Phillips should've been evicted from the facility prior to the attack.

"They had a problem before and didn't do anything about it. It's not the first time they had a problem," Booth said.

Inglis House is both a nursing home and an independent living community for the disabled.

Phillips was living there with his mother who is disabled and uses a wheelchair.

The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and other charges. He served 22 months behind bars and received additional time on house arrest.

Meanwhile, Booth is dealing with anxiety and panic attacks since the late 2016 beating.

"I'm still having headaches," he said.

We requested an on-camera interview with management at Inglis House. The non-profit said it could not comment because of pending litigation involving Wade Booth.

Attempts to reach Phillips have been unsuccessful.