Former Miami, Maryland S Avantae Williams charged with second-degree murder

USA Today

07-05-2025

Former Miami, Maryland S Avantae Williams charged with second-degree murder
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Former Miami Hurricane, Maryland Terrapin charged with Florida murder
Avantae Williams, who played football at Miami and Maryland, was in a Volusia County Jail after DeLand police charged him in a fatal May 3 shooting.
Former Miami and Maryland football player Avantae Williams has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to a shooting on Saturday, according to a DeLand Police Department news release.
Williams — a former top-50 ranked prospect out of DeLand High School in DeLand, Florida — turned himself in to police at a lawyer's office on Monday with no incident, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.
As of Wednesday morning, Williams was in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond, per the News-Journal.
Per the DeLand news release, officers responded to a shooting around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday at a bar in DeLand, Florida. Witnesses told investigators a fistfight broke out between several people in the bar, before one of the men pulled out a firearm and started shooting, according to the news release.
Police said Keshod Harris, 32, was shot and killed. A bartender was also injured in the shooting, sustaining gunshot wounds to both hands. They were treated with non-life-threatening injuries.
As reported by the News-Journal, Harris got into an argument at 1:25 a.m. at McCabe's Bar — less than 20 minutes from Stetson University in Florida — with Damian "D" Ramsey, who was there with Williams and another man, per an affidavit.
Harris, Williams and Ramsey had previously left a celebration at the Chisholm Community Center after Harris had arrived there and argued with his girlfriend. The News-Journal reported that Ramsey had previously tried "to be with her romantically," before Saturday's shooting.
Per the News-Journal, Harris and Williams began fighting, with Harris punching Williams in the jaw. Ramsey then stood up and punched Harris in the back of the head. Williams pushed Harris away, grabbed a gun from his right pocket and fired into Harris' left rib cage. Williams reportedly ran past Harris, who was motionless on the ground, and shot him in the back before running out of the bar with Ramsey.
Harris was pronounced dead after he was transported to AdventHealth DeLand. The News-Journal reported that an autopsy of Harris revealed he had been shot seven times, with six bullets remaining in his body.
Williams fled the scene with Ramsey. The News-Journal reports a witness identified Williams from a photo lineup, and that police had picked up an iPhone that Williams set down when he fought Harris. The News-Journal also notes that police used a license plate detection system to identify the vehicle in which Williams left the scene. It was determined to belong to an "associate" of Williams, and was seized as evidence.
Williams was the No. 45-ranked player and No. 2 safety of the 2020 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' Composite rankings. He had 30 total tackles in his career across two seasons at Miami and another at Maryland. He last played in 2023.