Murder charges: Minneapolis man wildly fires gun after fight, accidentally kills friend

A Minneapolis man who wildly shot his gun into a crowded intersection after a fight accidentally shot his friend in the head and killed him, according to criminal charges filed in Hennepin County District Court last week.

Jermaine Sylvester Watkins, 50, was charged with second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm in connection with the shooting death of William Demone Walker, 46, of Denver. The shooting happened in the 1700 block of 25th Avenue N. at 6:15 a.m. on Oct. 19, 2024, following an after-bar party in north Minneapolis.

Watkins made a first court appearance on Thursday, and his bail was set at $1 million. He was on supervised release with the Minnesota Department of Corrections at the time of the alleged murder. His probation stemmed from a conviction in 2014 on two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of kidnapping.

According to court documents:

Surveillance video showed Watkins, Walker and several other people attended a late-night party in the 2400 block of Logan Avenue N. Watkins was wearing a Halloween mask that illuminated his face. Several partygoers later spilled out into the street with at least a dozen people in the intersection of 25th and Logan avenues, and a fight broke out.

Surveillance video showed a man dressed similarly to Watkins with an illuminated mask draped over the back of his neck, running down 25th Avenue, firing backward while swinging his arm. A bullet struck Walker, who was standing near the driver’s side of his vehicle, in the head. The video showed the shooter firing 10 shots, and 10 shell casings were found at the scene.

Shortly after Walker was shot, a woman ran up and climbed in the passenger seat of his car. She told the shooter to stop firing and get in the car. Shortly after she appears to realize Walker was shot. She ran over to him and said, “Frog, you shot him.”

Investigators spoke with Walker’s mother who told them “Frog” was a nickname for Watkins and that he was an associate of her son. Another witness who knew Watkins identified him in several still images from the surveillance videos the night of the party.

Later interviews indicated that Walker had gotten into a verbal argument and brief fight before the shooting but had walked to his vehicle by the time the shooting happened. There was no evidence to indicate there was another gunman the night of the fight which is what ultimately led police to determine that Watkins “shooting wildly and recklessly toward the intersection” is what led to Walker’s death.

Watkins has a lengthy criminal history in Minnesota dating back to 1994, including felony convictions for drug possession and criminal sexual conduct.