In the early morning hours of July 28, 2022, a tragic and violent encounter unfolded outside a bar in downtown Minneapolis that claimed the life of 28-year-old Chante Lamar Williams, a Black male from Saint Paul. The incident, which occurred around 1:30 a.m. in the 300 block of 1st Avenue North, escalated from a tense interaction into a fatal shooting that also left two other individuals wounded.
Williams was pronounced dead at the scene, having sustained seven gunshot wounds to his back and neck.
Surveillance footage from the area detailed the moments leading up to the deadly barrage of gunfire. Williams was seen approaching a man, later identified as Cleveland C. Longmire, who was in an SUV. Soon after, another individual, identified as Casey Jermar Davis, appeared and began behaving threateningly toward Williams. Although Williams was seen holding a handgun, he reportedly made no overt threats. As the crowd from the closing bars grew, Longmire allegedly positioned himself near the SUV, gestured for a bystander to move, and fired two to three shots toward the ground at Williams' feet, causing panic.
While the crowd scattered in fear, Davis did not flee. Instead, he allegedly opened fire on Williams with a. 40 caliber Glock that had been illegally modified with an auto sear to fire automatically. This volley of shots proved fatal for Williams and also struck the two other victims, who each suffered five gunshot wounds but survived. In a chilling aftermath captured on video, the gunman, alleged to be Davis, walked over to Williams' lifeless body and took a photograph before fleeing the scene.
The investigation, which police described as gang-related, led to the identification of two suspects associated with a St. Paul street gang. Cleveland C. Longmire, a 28-year-old from Brooklyn Center, was charged with first-degree riot resulting in death and aiding an offender. Authorities stated he assisted the gunman in escaping by providing false information to police immediately after the shooting. In August 2024, Longmire was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for his role in the incident and also received a 7.5-year federal sentence for a firearms charge. After a lengthy search, the alleged shooter, 30-year-old Casey Jermar Davis, was arrested in February 2025.
