St. Cloud man sentenced to 74 years for part in 2022 mass shooting

A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to 74 years in prison for aiding and abetting attempted murder in Stearns County.

Bryant Garth II, of St. Cloud, was found guilty in May on multiple felony counts including aiding and abetting attempted premeditated murder after a 2022 shooting left four people gravely injured.

The jury also found Garth II liable for aggravating factors due to his prior felony convictions and there being three or more shooters.

The criminal complaint from the July 6, 2022, shooting states that St. Cloud Police Officers were called to the scene of gunfire near the intersection of 11th Street South and 6th Avenue South.

Witnesses reported hearing multiple gunshots and a male lying by the sidewalk. When police arrived, they found four men with gunshot wounds, including a child who had been shot in the head.

Officers and paramedics teated the child's wounds and took him to the hospital. The other three men were also taken to St. Cloud Hospital, where they received ongoing care for their injuries.

Officers were told by witnesses that a fight at a gas station the day before had led to the shooting, and further investigation showed messages sent between the victims and shooters.

Surveillance video showed the two groups had met and argued from some distance between 11th Street South and 6th Avenue South. The victims' group was near 11th Street South, and the shooters' group was in the parking lot of the 1011 apartment building.

People involved in the initial fight the day before met up outside a car. When a second car arrived and parked in a way to ensure they could exit the scene quickly, the driver, wearing a mask and hood, and three people, one being Garth, exited the car and began to shoot at the victims.

The victims ran away as the gunfire erupted before the driver and three male passengers fled, followed by the vehicle that was previously parked on the scene. Investigators positively identified multiple shooters, including Garth and Daquan Christopher Savon Ledbetter, 29. The driver was someone known to the two men.

Garth had exited front passenger seat, drew his gun from his front waistband, and fired multiple rounds in the direction of 11th Street during the incident.

He was banned from possessing a firearm after being convicted of multiple violent crimes, including a riot in the second degree in 2017 and Aggravated Robbery in the 2nd degree in 2018.

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.