ST PAUL, Minn. — Editor's note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 in January 2023.
The former St. Paul recreation center employee accused of shooting a teen in the head last year was sentenced to just over 10 years in prison Friday.
Ramsey County court documents show Exavir Binford Jr., 27, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in a deal with prosecutors, who dropped a second-degree attempted murder charge as part of the deal. Binford appeared by Zoom from the state's St. Cloud corrections facility, where he will carry out his sentence of 125 months with credit for 388 days already served.
The shooting happened on Jan. 18, 2023, outside the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center in the city's historic Rondo neighborhood. According to the criminal complaint, Binford was working when two teens allegedly fought with him about entering the building, leading to a physical altercation in the rec center parking lot.
Witnesses told investigators that Binford flashed a gun at the teens before they followed him into the parking lot and attacked him. Prosecutors say Binford then pulled his gun out and shot one of them in the head. The victim, who was 16 at the time, was subsequently rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
After Binford was taken into custody, authorities say he told them he "tried walking away" but the teens were talking like "gun toters" so he got defensive. He added that he'd been having trouble with the individual for months before the shooting.
Binford reportedly told investigators the shooting happened "in the moment" and that he was sorry. His lawyer argued that Binford "acted in self-defense."
At Friday's sentencing hearing Binford was also ordered to pay restitution of $35,000.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: