Local man shot and killed outside Midway Saloon

Jeff Matson, a 43-year-old St. Paul man, was shot and killed following an argument over a bicycle at the Midway Saloon (1500 University Ave.) shortly after midnight on Aug. 7, 2025.

According to the police report, Met Transit officers were on the lightrail platform near the Midway Saloon and heard a gunshot. They found Jeff Matson with a gunshot wound to the chest and abdomen. He was transported to Regions Hospital, where he died in surgery.

Officers detained three men outside the bar, including Davarius L. Clark, 31, of Minneapolis who worked as a bouncer at the bar and told the police he had shot Matson. Officers recovered a pistol from Clark’s waistband and found a single spent shell casing on the sidewalk near where he was arrested. The bar manager stated that Clark and Matson argued because the victim brought a bicycle inside the bar that the manager gave approval for. The two argued inside the bar and outside. The Midway Saloon does not employ armed security. Clark told police that he works two jobs and didn’t have time to drop off the gun before he went to the Midway Saloon that night. He has a valid permit to carry a firearm…

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