Man charged in October 2023 Minneapolis murder

A man has been charged in connection with a homicide in October 2023.

Devon Louis Williams, 36, faces one count of second-degree murder.

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

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

The witness said on the morning of the shooting, he was at a basement apartment in the area, where he, Williams, and others would sell drugs. The witness said that Williams and a woman were at the apartment on the morning of the shooting and Brown was 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 state.

When Brown and the woman left, Williams realized his gun was gone and thought the woman had taken it. Williams called Brown to tell 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 spoke to Williams through the basement window, the witness told police. He then heard the two start arguing and he heard other voices of people he thought Williams was dealing drugs to.

The witness went to see what was going on and saw Williams shoot Brown, court documents state. Williams reportedly yelled, “I’ll kill our ass” and tried to shoot a second bullet but the gun had jammed. Brown also was asking Williams not to kill him, the witness said, adding that he didn’t see Brown acting aggressive or with a gun.

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

Other witnesses reported hearing the argument, heard the gunshot and said Williams owed Brown money, according to court documents.

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

Williams is not currently in custody and was charged via warrant due to public safety concerns associated with his conduct. The document notes that he also has a pending first-degree drug sale case.