In the early hours of February 2, 2025, a burst of violence shattered the quiet of a Saint Cloud, Minnesota apartment building, leaving a family and community to grapple with a sudden loss. Layson Thomas Davis, a 17-year-old male, was fatally shot inside a building on the 200 block of 2nd Street Northeast. Police responded to reports of gunshots around 3:00 a.m. and discovered a tragic scene.
Davis was found on a stairwell between the first and second floors with a gunshot wound to his chest and was pronounced dead at the scene. A second victim, a 19-year-old man, was also found in a first-floor hallway, critically injured from multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators quickly determined the shooting was not a random act of violence, stating that the victims and suspects knew one another. The investigation, aided by surveillance footage, began to piece together the chaotic moments that led to the shooting. The video reportedly showed Davis and the other victim in a struggle over a handgun with a man later identified as 19-year-old Bernard Bowens. After Bowens allegedly gained control of the weapon, the confrontation escalated. Footage showed Davis, also with a gun, confronting Bowens, who then fired several shots, striking Davis. When the second victim ran after the gunman, he was allegedly shot by another individual.
The investigation led to charges against several individuals. Bernard Bowens was charged with second and third-degree murder, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Two other 19-year-olds, Quinton McNeal and Olivia Williams, faced charges including aiding and abetting first-degree robbery and theft of a firearm. Williams was also accused of aiding an offender for allegedly driving Bowens away from the scene after the shooting. A fourth suspect, 24-year-old Kevon Marquiose Washington, was later charged with attempted second-degree murder and aiding and abetting aggravated first-degree robbery. The police announced the arrests of two 19-year-old suspects, a man and a woman, in the days following the incident.
