Man who threatened LGBTQ+ bar & staff with gun gets nearly 5 years in prison

Conell Walter Harris, 29, was sentenced to 57 months in prison after he pled guilty to one count of a felon in possession of a firearm in the federal case against him.

Harris entered the 19 Bar in Minneapolis on November 28 last year, where prosecutors said that Harris started “acting strangely.” An employee asked him to show his ID and he got upset, allegedly saying, “I ain’t going nowhere.”

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“I am not an expert on transgenderism,” Gov. Spencer Cox wrote. “When in doubt however, I always try to err on the side of kindness, mercy, and compassion.”

He was asked to leave by a bartender but refused. He pulled out his gun and threatened employees of the bar. The arrest warrant says that he said things like “What watch the f**k you’re saying” and “I’m going to f**k you up.”

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A customer got in between Harris and a bartender to calm the situation down.

Court documents say that Harris used profanities and shouted “I’ll f**king kill your d**e ass” before he finally left the building. Someone called police and by the time they arrived he was back inside playing pool.

Officers said that Harris resisted arrest and made an attempt to reach for his gun.

Prosecutors asked the court for a five-year sentence since Harris has four prior felony convictions, two of which involve possession of a firearm.

“This incident could have resulted in serious injury to Mr. Harris or bystanders,” prosecutors argued in a court filing.

Harris’s attorney said that he had a difficult childhood, was shot when he was 16, and faced psychological challenges as a teen and an adult, including addiction. His lawyers said that he was “confused and upset” that the bar didn’t accept a picture on his phone as a form of ID and, when he tried to explain himself, he was told to leave. They also said that he didn’t point the gun at anyone and that he believed “he was acting in self-defense” because an employee touched him when asking him to leave. His lawyer argued for a three-year sentence.

Harris also faces charges from the state stemming from the incident, including making threats of violence with reckless disregard of risk. He is due back in court in August.