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.

Saint Paul Police is leading the investigation into what led up to the shooting. Clark was charged Friday in Ramsey County District Court with two counts of second-degree murder. 

Matson was a longtime newspaper carrier, who had previously delivered for the Midway Como Frogtown Monitor and its sister publication, the  Longfellow Nokomis Messenger. He loved working at the Saints stadium as a "beer hawker."

"He was a very generous and kind, plain good soul," said his long-time girlfriend Michelle Wefel. "He had the heart and drive that not many people seem to have anymore. His determination was beyond compare and he always tried, even when the odds were against him. He had recently developed a green thumb, taking up gardening as a hobby – he loved watching his work grow. He was known around the ballpark for the Saints, for making people laugh while selling them a beer. His best quote was '...and don't you buy from anyone else.' He loved to adventure, exploring the forests around the city and playing tennis almost everywhere he went. Jeff's favorite thing to do was watch movies in his spare time. He was loved by many friends and family and will be missed by even more."
This is the seventh homicide of 2025 in Saint Paul.