Former Maryland defensive back Avantae Williams has been arrested and charged with murder following a shooting at a bar in Florida.
According to the DeLand Police Department, the shooting occurred early Saturday morning, where one man was killed at McCabe's bar 40 miles outside of Orlando. Law enforcement responded to the shooting at 1:30 a.m., with witnesses saying a fight broke out between several people at the bar before one man pulled out a gun and started shooting.
32-year-old Keshod Harris was hit in the chest multiple times and succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. A bartender was also wounded but with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said they "gathered evidence and developed investigative leads" that connected the 24-year-old former college football star to the shooting. As a result, Williams was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and is being held in custody at the Volusia County Jail without bond.
Williams was the No. 1-ranked safety in the class of 2020 before starting his college football career with the Miami Hurricanes. He played in 17 games and racked up 27 tackles, an interception, and one fumble recovery. However, Williams landed himself in some trouble at Miami in 2021 when he was suspended from the team after getting arrested on domestic violence charges.
Those charges were dropped, and Williams ended up transferring to the University of Maryland in 2022. As a Maryland Terrapin, Williams played in five games and recorded three tackles.
