On the Run for Almost Four Months, St. Cloud Murder Suspect Taken Into Custody Tuesday

(KNSI) — A man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in St. Cloud in February is now in custody.

According to a press release from the St. Cloud Police Department, their Community Response Team and Criminal Investigations Unit, and the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force worked in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Unit, Minneapolis Community Response Team, and the Minneapolis Gun Investigation Unit to track down and arrest Bernard Bowens.

The 19-year-old was taken into custody without incident on Tuesday in the 2700 block of North Upton Avenue in Minneapolis. He was wanted on outstanding warrants for second and third degree murder and has been booked into the Benton County Jail.

Bowens is believed to be the trigger man behind the February 2nd shooting that left 17-year-old Layson Davis dead and a 19-year-old man seriously injured.

According to the criminal complaint, around 3:00 a.m. that morning, police were called to an apartment in the 200 block of 2nd Street Northeast for the sound of gunshots. When they arrived, they found Davis dead from a gunshot wound to the chest, and the 19-year-old from St. Joseph had been shot twice in the chest. He was rushed to CentraCare – St. Cloud Hospital for treatment. His condition is unknown.

Investigators watched surveillance video that allegedly showed Davis and the other victim standing inside the building when Bowens came in and pulled a wad of cash out of his coat pocket before putting it back. About five minutes later, the three are seen on video struggling over a gun. Then, Bowens ended up with the gun and ran down the hallway.

Court documents say about a minute after the scuffle, Kevon Marquiose Washington, Quinton McNeal, and another man walked into the building. Davis is then seen running on the second floor with a gun when Bowens is seen listening at a door when Davis jumps out at Bowens from a hallway entrance. The two each drew their guns, and Bowens fired several rounds at Davis and ran. The other victim ran after the gunman when Washington shot him. Washington, Bowens, McNeal, and another man then fled the scene.

Washington has been charged with second degree murder and aiding and abetting a robbery. He was arrested in Wisconsin in late February.

McNeal and his girlfriend, Olivia Williams, have both been charged with aiding and abetting the theft of a firearm and aiding and abetting first-degree robbery, and Williams is facing an additional charge of aiding an offender. She is accused of driving Bowens to a home in Minnetonka and dropping him off.

Williams pled guilty in Benton County District Court to one felony count of aiding an offender. She will have charges of aiding and abetting theft of a firearm and first-degree aiding and abetting aggravated robbery, both felonies, dismissed at her sentencing on July 9th. In exchange for her plea, Williams would be sentenced to one year in prison, stayed, meaning she wouldn’t spend time behind bars unless she violated the terms of her probation. She would also spend 30 days in jail and be ordered to pay restitution, which will be set later.

The case against McNeal is still winding its way through the courts.

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