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City employee charged with attempted murder in rec center shooting

Prosecutors say 26-year-old Exavir Dwayne Binford Jr. argued with the victim and another teen before he pulled a gun and shot the 16-year-old in the head.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Prosecutors say a 26-year-old city employee argued with two teens, eventually getting in a physical fight with them before allegedly pulling a gun and shooting one of the boys in the head. 

Charges of second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault were filed Friday against Exavir Dwayne Binford, Jr., in connection with the shooting, which occurred Wednesday afternoon outside the Jimmy Lee Rec Center on Lexington Avenue. 

The criminal complaint filed against Binford says squads were dispatched to the rec center around 4:15 p.m. on reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found the victim, a 16-year-old male, with a gunshot wound to the head. The teen was immediately transported to Regions Hospital, where he remains in intensive care with what is described as a "life threatening injury." 

Witnesses told police that the trouble began with the victim and another teen arguing with Binford about getting inside the rec center. Earlier in the day there had been a fight amongst a group of girls at the center, and Binford, who was on duty, had kicked everyone out. When the victim, identified in court documents as JT, said something to Binford, a witness says the defendant opened his coat and showed the two teens he was carrying a gun.

At that point, things got physical with one witness telling police the two teens followed Binford through the parking lot and began beating him up. Binford reportedly backed up, pulled his gun and shot JT in the head. 

While a number of witnesses gave accounts of what led to the shooting, prosecutors will not have the aid of surveillance video, which apparently did not capture the moment the gun was fired. 

Ramsey County deputies soon stopped a Chevy Equinox on Stillwater Ave. and took Binford into custody. The arresting officers located a Taurus 9mm handgun on the defendant, with a live round loaded in it. When a deputy noticed a rip in Binford's jacket and asked him about it, the defendant reportedly told him "Yeah, because I was attacked."

During questioning, investigators say Binford shared that he has had a problem with JT for the five months he has worked at the Jimmy Lee Rec Center, and things boiled over after the teens were locked out of the center. He alleged the two teens attacked him as he walked to the bus stop, he was thrown on the ground and felt his jacket being pulled over his head, at which point Binford admitted pulling his gun. 

The complaint says Binford tried walking away, but he claims the boys were talking like "gun toters" which put him on the defensive. He told investigators he fired once, but did not know JT had been struck. At that point Binford said he took a bus downtown, called his mother and told her he had done some "dumb sh**."

When asked why he shot JT, Binford reportedly said it was just in the moment, and he was sorry. He also admitted he carried his gun at work, and told detectives his employer did not know. 

At his first court hearing Friday, a judge ordered Binford to be appointed a public defender to represent him in the case and was subsequently excused to have a private conversation with that lawyer before he appeared again in front of the judge.

When Binford did return before the judge a short time later, the state asked that Binford be held on $1 million bail. 

In response, Binford’s defense attorney asked the judge to consider lowering bail and instead implement a stay-at-home order, citing Binford's lack of criminal history, and claiming he acted in self-defense.

The judge decided that “given the allegations,” Binford’s bail would be set at $500,000. The judge also granted the defense’s request for a speedy omnibus hearing, which is now scheduled for Feb. 15 at 1:30 p.m.

 

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