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DULUTH 鈥� St. Louis County prosecutor Vicky Wanta didn鈥檛 ask jurors to determine whether Brandon Capone Williams-Gillard fired the shot that killed Paris Allen on Aug. 2, 2023.

She also didn鈥檛 ask the panel to decide if the defendant was the one who struck and injured Caleb Reinolt-Nemec that afternoon in the city鈥檚 Lincoln Park neighborhood.

All that matters, she argued, is that Williams-Gillard joined his friend, Sanussi Bangoura, in firing from a blue Chrysler 300 as it sped away from a confrontation with an antagonistic group.

鈥淢r. Williams-Gillard wasn鈥檛 just sitting in the passenger seat,鈥� Wanta said in a closing argument Thursday morning. 鈥淗e certainly wasn鈥檛 sitting in the passenger seat ducking, like he said in one of his statements. He鈥檚 actively participating. 鈥� When you鈥檙e shooting a gun, multiple times, at a group of people, in a neighborhood, that鈥檚 extreme indifference to life.鈥�

A jury deliberated for nine hours before coming to that same conclusion, finding Williams-Gillard guilty of intentional second-degree murder, second-degree assault, and drive-by shooting in the on the 2500 block of West Second Street.

The defendant, wearing a light-colored suit, did not noticeably react as the verdict was read just before 9:30 p.m. Several of the victims' family members and friends looked on from the gallery, respecting Judge Eric Hylden's request to remain composed and avoid emotional outbursts.

Allen's father, Brian, said he wasn't yet ready to comment. Attorneys on both sides also declined to speak, with Wanta noting another trial remains pending for Bangoura.

The fact that the jury could even reach a unanimous verdict appeared in serious doubt just two hours earlier, with Hylden summoning attorneys back to the courtroom to address a series of questions from a seemingly confused panel.

Because Williams-Gillard was charged under the state鈥檚 aiding and abetting statute, he shares equal legal liability with Bangoura for the actions that ensued that day 鈥� regardless of how many times either man fired or whose bullets struck the victims.

Dan Williamson / File / Duluth Media Group

The events leading up to the shooting were largely uncontested: There was an ongoing conflict between Bangoura and another man, Jackson Morales, with their friend groups occasionally clashing in verbal confrontations.

According to trial testimony, Morales was approached by Bangoura and Williams-Gillard in the parking lot of the Holy Family Catholic Church, 2430 W. Third St., on Aug. 2. The men agreed to "box" down the street, with Morales testifying that he called for his friends, including Allen and Reinolt-Nemec, to exit a nearby residence and help him.

As the two groups came together and exchanged some "smack talk," Reinolt-Nemec said he saw Bangoura, still seated in the car, reaching for an apparent handgun. He then punched the driver through the open window, and a volley of gunfire erupted from the car as it sped away.

Allen was struck once in the head and quickly pronounced dead. Reinolt-Nemec was hit in the buttocks and hip area and received treatment at a local hospital.

A cellphone video recorded by Reinolt-Nemec was among the evidence viewed by jurors. It clearly showed Bangoura holding a handgun out the window while Morales' group frantically tried to duck.

Williams-Gillard was more difficult to see, but Wanta contended he was holding a gun at chest level in the background. She also cited forensic evidence indicating two separate guns were fired. And two friends told police that Williams-Gillard admitted to firing a handful of shots while Bangoura "emptied a clip."

鈥淭hey鈥檙e acting equally to one another in this goal of a drive-by shooting,鈥� Wanta said. 鈥淚t does not matter, legally, whose bullet killed Mr. Allen or whose bullet injured Mr. Reinolt-Nemec.鈥�

Defense attorney Laura Zimm argued there was insufficient evidence to prove that her client had a gun and fired it. She said key witness statements were full of "confusion and contradictions."

And perhaps the most compelling piece of evidence against Williams-Gillard 鈥� a 9 mm bullet lodged in the side of a car that had been parked nearby 鈥� wasn't discovered by its owner until 19 days later, as police erroneously allowed the vehicle to leave the scene before anyone was aware of the damage.

Dan Williamson / File / Duluth Media Group

"There's no way to know exactly when that bullet entered the car," Zimm said. "Suspicion, yes, but not proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

Zimm said the case relied on a number of coincidences that appeared to look bad for Williams-Gillard. But she said: "Coincidences can lead to wrongful convictions. You have to be careful before you disbelieve a coincidence, because they happen sometimes."

Wanta, though, said the case went well beyond coincidence.

She said the defendant's two friends were able to tell police corroborating details that were not then known to the public. And she said the bullet found in the nearby car, along with shell casings recovered from Bangoura's Chrysler, all perfectly matched a varied array of ammunition found in a safe in Williams-Gillard's bedroom.

"How many coincidences does Mr. Williams-Gillard get?" the prosecutor asked.

Judge Hylden read a lengthy packet of instructions before the jury began deliberating, explaining the legal requirements of each charge as well as the requirements to establish that he aided and abetted the offenses.

But the panel remained confused after seven hours of deliberation, sending four written questions to the court seeking further clarification regarding Williams-Gillard鈥檚 liability, whether it was necessary to find that he had fired a gun and whether Bangoura had committed all of the elements of the offenses.

Gary Meader / Duluth News Tribune

The judge, after consulting attorneys, apologetically gave the jurors an "unsatisfying answer." He explained he could not elaborate and directed the panel back to its written questions.

Outside the presence of the jury, Hylden even expressed concern that the parties could have to try the entire case again 鈥� either through an appeal or because of a deadlocked jury. But the panel was able to reach the verdict some 90 minutes later, despite the lack of any further clarification.

The verdict came on the eighth day of Williams-Gillard's trial, after testimony from dozens of witnesses and the introduction of significant video and forensic evidence. The case proceeded to trial at breakneck speed 鈥� less than four months after the incident 鈥� due to a speedy trial demand from the defendant.

Bangoura, 22, faces identical charges but has yet to even enter a plea. He was called as a witness earlier this week but invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.

A member of Morales鈥� group, Ogima Joseph Currie, then 17, also has been charged in juvenile court with a just 30 minutes after the fatal shooting. Prosecutors are seeking to try him as an adult.