Avantae Williams, a former football player for both the University of Miami and the University of Maryland, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The charges stem from a shooting that occurred on Saturday at a bar in DeLand, Florida, according to a news release issued by the DeLand Police Department.
Williams, who was once considered a top-50 ranked prospect coming out of DeLand High School, surrendered himself to law enforcement officials at a lawyer’s office on Monday. The surrender occurred without incident, as reported by The Daytona Beach News-Journal, a part of the USA TODAY Network.
As of Wednesday morning, Williams remained in custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail, where he is being held without bond, according to the News-Journal.
The DeLand Police Department’s news release details that officers responded to reports of a shooting at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Saturday. The location was a bar situated in DeLand, Florida. Initial investigations revealed that a physical altercation had erupted between several individuals inside the bar. According to witness accounts provided to investigators, the fistfight escalated when one of the men involved brandished a firearm and began firing.
The victim of the shooting has been identified as Keshod Harris, 32, who was fatally wounded and pronounced dead after being transported to a nearby hospital. In addition to Harris, a bartender was also injured during the incident. The bartender sustained gunshot wounds to both hands, requiring medical treatment. However, the injuries were deemed non-life-threatening.
The News-Journal reports that the events leading up to the shooting began with an argument at McCabes Bar around 1:25 a.m. McCabes Bar is located less than 20 minutes from Stetson University in Florida. The argument involved Harris and Damian D Ramsey, who was present at the bar with Williams and another unidentified man. According to an affidavit, the three men, Harris, Williams, and Ramsey, had previously been at a celebration at the Chisholm Community Center earlier that evening. Harris had arrived at the community center and engaged in an argument with his girlfriend. The News-Journal also reported that Ramsey had previously expressed romantic interest in Harris’s girlfriend before the events of Saturday’s shooting.
The situation at McCabes Bar escalated when Harris and Williams became embroiled in a physical altercation. Harris reportedly punched Williams in the jaw. Ramsey then intervened, striking Harris in the back of the head. At this point, Williams allegedly pushed Harris away, reached into his right pocket, and retrieved a gun. He then fired the weapon into Harris’s left rib cage.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that after the initial shot, Williams ran past Harris, who was lying motionless on the ground, and fired another shot into Harris’s back. Following the shooting, Williams reportedly fled the bar with Ramsey.
Harris was transported to AdventHealth DeLand, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy performed on Harris revealed that he had sustained seven gunshot wounds, with six bullets remaining lodged in his body, according to The News-Journal.
After the shooting, Williams and Ramsey fled the scene. Law enforcement officials were able to identify Williams through a photo lineup presented to a witness. Additionally, police recovered an iPhone that Williams had reportedly dropped during the fight with Harris.
The News-Journal also reported that police utilized a license plate detection system to identify the vehicle in which Williams left the scene. The vehicle was determined to belong to an associate of Williams and was subsequently seized by authorities as evidence.
Avantae Williams was a highly regarded football prospect during his high school career. He was ranked as the No. 45 overall player and the No. 2 safety in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Throughout his college career, he recorded a total of 30 tackles across two seasons at the University of Miami and one season at the University of Maryland. His last season playing college football was in 2023.
The arrest and subsequent charges against Williams have sent shockwaves through the college football community and the DeLand community, where he was a prominent high school athlete. The case is ongoing, and further details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses. The legal proceedings will determine Williams’s fate and the consequences he will face for the alleged crime. The loss of Keshod Harris has deeply affected his family and friends, and the injured bartender is also recovering from their physical wounds. The community is grappling with the senseless violence that took place and the tragic loss of life.
