Man charged with murder in Minneapolis in October 2023

A man has been charged in connection with an October 2023 murder.

36-year-old Devon Louis Williams faces a charge of second-degree murder.

As previously reported, on the morning of October 21, 2023, Minneapolis officers responded to a shooting in an alley in the 3500 block of Penn Avenue North. There they found 49-year-old Omar Lamont Brown with a gunshot wound to the upper body. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

According to a criminal complaint, surveillance video showed a vehicle leaving the area after the shooting. Investigators found the owner of the vehicle, who told them he saw the shooting.

The witness said the morning of the shooting he was in a basement apartment in the area where he, Williams and others were selling drugs. The witness said Williams and a woman were at the apartment the morning of the shooting and Brown was sitting in a vehicle in the alley. Williams was drunk and the woman he was with wanted to leave, so he asked Brown to drive her home, court documents say.

As Brown and the woman left, Williams noticed his gun was missing and thought the woman had taken it. Williams called Brown and told him to bring back his gun, which the witness described as possibly a .380.

When Brown returned with the gun, he stayed outside in the alley and talked to Williams through the basement window, the witness told police. He then heard the two begin to argue and he heard other voices of people he believed Williams was selling drugs.

The witness went to see what was going on and saw Williams shoot Brown, court documents say. Williams reportedly yelled, “I’m going to fuck us up,” and tried to fire a second bullet, but the gun jammed. Brown also asked Williams not to kill him, the witness said, adding that he did not see Brown aggressive or with a weapon.

The witness said he let Williams get into his vehicle and they drove to his apartment, where they threw the gun down the trash chute. They went back to the apartment at 36th and Penn Streets after someone called and said Brown had died. Williams told the group that Brown hit him during their argument, so he pulled out his gun and shot Brown.

Other witnesses reported hearing the argument, hearing the gunshot and saying Williams owed Brown money, court documents show.

In an interview with investigators, Williams admitted to selling drugs at 36th and Penn Streets. He said he had a minimal relationship with Brown and said he did not see him with a gun on the night of the murder. Court documents show he said he was “probably in the area” during the shooting.

Williams is not currently in custody and has been charged with a warrant due to public safety concerns related to his behavior. The document states that he also has a pending case for first-degree drug sales.