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.
- Avantae Williams, a former University of Miami and University of Maryland football player, has been charged with the murder of Keshod Harris in DeLand, Florida.
- The shooting occurred at McCabe’s Bar after a confrontation stemming from alleged jealousy and a prior dispute involving Harris’s girlfriend.
- Police used surveillance video, witness testimonies, and an iPhone left at the scene to identify Williams as the shooter.
- Williams turned himself in to authorities and is currently being held without bond.
An iPhone near a trail of blood – along with surveillance video and two key witness interviews – helped DeLand police determine who killed 32-year-old Keshod Harris in the early-morning hours of May 3.
The evidence led investigators to Avantae Williams, a 24-year-old onetime star for the DeLand High School football team. He has been charged with second-degree murder, according to court records.
Williams, who played safety for the Miami Hurricanes and Maryland Terrapins from 2021-23, turned himself in to police at a lawyer’s office on May 5. He was described as “cooperative and respectful” as he was being placed into custody.
Victim’s girlfriend: Jealousy led to altercation
Prior to the shooting, there was a celebration. Decassia Bing, Harris’s girlfriend of six years, was at Chisholm Community Center on South Clara Avenue to honor her cousin, who was graduating from nursing school.
Bing told detectives that “she and Harris had argued throughout the day because he felt she would be flirtatious with other men” at the event.
She went to the celebration at about 9 p.m. Between 11:30 and 11:40 p.m., four men arrived, including Williams and Damian “D” Ramsey.
That made Bing nervous, the report states, as: “Harris and Ramsey have previously argued due to Ramsey trying to be with her romantically,” and attendees were making social-media posts from the party that Harris could view.
Her fears were realized: Harris texted Bing, saying he could see that Ramsey and the others were there and he was on his way, the affidavit states.
Meanwhile, one of the men approached Bing and asked if she would give Ramsey her phone number. She said no. Then Ramsey himself asked if he could put his number into her phone.
At that point, Harris arrived. Bing and Harris went outside to argue. They then left in separate vehicles.
Harris heads to McCabe’s Bar
Harris went to McCabe’s Bar, less than two blocks from the campus of Stetson University.
A little over 20 minutes later, Williams arrived at the bar with Ramsey and another man, the affidavit states. By 1:25 a.m., Harris grabbed a chair and began talking to Ramsey, a conversation that led to an argument.
Harris and Williams began fighting, with Harris landing a right to Williams’ jaw.
Ramsey stood up and punched Harris in the back of the head. Williams, meanwhile, pushed Harris away and grabbed a gun from his right pocket, the report states, firing with two hands on the gun’s grip, as Harris’ left rib cage was exposed.
After Harris fell on his left hip and was motionless on the ground, the report states, Williams ran past him and shot him in the back before running out of the bar with Ramsey at his heel.
Meanwhile, an unknown male ran into a hallway and pulled a black, semi-automatic pistol from his waistband.
Blood poured from Harris’ stomach as patrons attempted to aid him.
As this went on, several people carried Harris to the bed of a truck.
Harris was taken to AdventHealth DeLand, where he was pronounced dead. Volusia County Medical Examiner Dr. Mary Ripple determined in an autopsy that Harris had been shot seven times, with six bullets remaining in his body.
A bartender was also injured in the shooting. Courtney Rickman was hit by a bullet that passed directly through her right palm and between two fingers on her left hand, resulting in significant tissue damage, according to DeLand police.
More surveillance video: Williams flees scene
Video from a separate unit in the same plaza as McCabe’s showed Williams approaching a black BMW SUV “trying to open the door in a panic,” the affidavit states.
“Come on, D. Let’s go. Come on, D,” Williams said.
Someone threw Williams a key and as he opened the driver’s side door, another gunshot rang out, according to the report. Williams ducked. The report does not say who might have fired a retaliatory shot.
The affidavit also doesn’t indicate whether Ramsey was seen entering the BMW, but notes that his nickname is “D.”
As part of the investigation, a DeLand sergeant used FLOCK, a license-plate detection system, to help identify the BMW, which the report states was spotted just after 2 a.m. near the Volusia County Fairgrounds on State Road 44. Police determined the vehicle’s owner was an “associate” of Ramsey’s and later tracked it to a New Smyrna Beach apartment complex, where it was seized as evidence.
DeLand police: Photo lineup, iPhone help ID shooter
The DeLand police investigation continued at Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford, where a witness whose name was redacted identified Williams from a photo lineup.
And in gathering evidence at McCabe’s, police picked up an iPhone that Williams had set down when he fought Harris, the affidavit states. After getting a warrant, a Volusia County Sheriff’s Office detective extracted data from the phone, including Williams’ Social Security number.
A little more than an hour before the shooting, the phone showed Williams had looked up “southside_shod,” the Instagram account belonging to Keshod Harris, the victim, according to the affidavit.
Williams, as of Wednesday morning, was in the Volusia County Branch Jail without bond.
