Prosecutors allege security lapses at downtown Minneapolis bar where shooting killed 1, wounded 3

Charges against a man accused of shooting up a now-shuttered downtown Minneapolis bar, killing one patron and wounding three others, allege that security lapses that night contributed to the gunfire erupting.

Arlonzo Williams Jr., 26, is charged with one count each of second-degree murder and illegal gun possession, and three counts of second-degree attempted murder, in connection with the Oct. 7 shooting at Bar Zia on S. 4th Street near the Hennepin County jail.

Dantrell DaJuan Clark, 24, is charged as an accomplice with the same murder and attempted murder counts.

Police have identified the murder victim as 21-year-old DaMarco Fletcher Jr. of Minneapolis. Two women, ages 35 and 22, were injured, as well as a 24-year-old man.

The criminal complaints, the most recent one filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court against Clark, contend how Williams evaded detection by security and got inside with a gun:

At 10:54 p.m., Williams, Clark and an unnamed accomplice were patted down by security, given wristbands and allowed in the bar.

“During the next half-hour,” the charges continued, “[Williams and Clark] exited and re-entered the bar multiple times. When the men re-entered the bar, they were required to show security their wristbands but were not re-checked for weapons.”

Within the next five to six minutes, Williams shot Fletcher in the head and torso from less than 3 feet away while they were both on the dance floor.

“Errant gunfire” wounded the three other bar patrons. Officers collected at least 13 .40-caliber discharged cartridge casings on the dance floor.

Shortly after the shooting, Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the bar was the source of a disproportionate number of calls for service two years ago. Officers worked with the staff to improve security, which appeared to resolve the issues until another increase in calls for service developed in recent weeks, the chief said.

The Minnesota Star Tribune has reached out to the bar’s management for comment.

A notice on Bar Zia’s front door reveals the business was closed by the city three days after the shooting for a license violation related to a lack of insurance.

Williams, Clark and their accomplice watched from inside as Fletcher was patted down and entered the bar, the charges explained. The accomplice made a “boxing gesture” to the other two, “suggesting that a fight was imminent,” the complaints continued.

Around the same time, Williams stood near the dance floor and made repeated hand motions suggesting the clutching of a gun tucked in his waistband, “a telltale sign of a gunman ‘posting up’ in anticipation of using the weapon,” the charges noted.

After Fletcher stepped onto the dance floor, the accomplice stepped in front of Williams to shield Fletcher from seeing his eventual killer, the complaints read. Clark then sucker-punched Fletcher several times in the face while Williams stepped out from behind the accomplice and opened fire, the charges read.

A woman who was at a table near the front door told the Minnesota Star Tribune the next day that she was hit in the lower right leg as she ran out the door. Others fled through another door or dropped to the ground as shots continued, she said.

Williams and Clark both remain jailed in lieu of $2 million bail ahead of separate court appearances scheduled for Dec. 8. The Star Tribune has reached out to their attorneys for responses to the allegations.

Clark’s criminal record includes one conviction for second-degree assault in the shooting of a man at a north Minneapolis gas station, two for misdemeanor assault and one for fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct.