Ex-Miami safety arrested on murder charge

Former Miami and Maryland safety Avantae Williams was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a man over the weekend in Florida.

DeLand Police said in a news release that Williams, 24, was arrested Monday and taken into custody without incident. According to the news release, officers from the DeLand Police Department and Volusia Sheriff's Office responded to a shooting Saturday morning at a bar in DeLand, Williams' hometown. Witnesses told investigators there was a fight between several men inside the bar. During the fight, one man pulled out a firearm and started shooting.

Police said 32-year-old Keshod Harris, of DeLand, was shot and killed and a bartender was also injured in the shooting.

Williams, the No. 1 safety in the class of 2020 and a former ESPN 300 prospect, was kicked off the Miami team in 2021 after he was arrested on three counts of aggravated battery of a pregnant person. But he was reinstated after charges were dropped, serving a six-game suspension.

He played in 17 career games for the Hurricanes before transferring to Maryland for the 2023 season. He spent one year with the Terps, playing in four games.