By American Renaissance | Created at 2024-10-03 18:31:56 | Updated at 2024-10-06 18:23:07
3 days ago
Here’s the full story behind Tim Walz’s debate anecdote about his son witnessing a shooting at a recreation center. From the Pioneer Press of St. Paul, Minnesota:
Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press
Fri, January 20, 2023 at 10:19 AM PST5 min read
An argument outside a St. Paul recreation center escalated to a fight and a city Parks and Rec employee shooting a 16-year-old in the head, according to an attempted murder charged filed Friday.
Several witnesses reported that the the teen and another 16-year-old were in an argument with Exavir Dwayne Binford Jr. in front of the main entry door at Oxford Community Center, which includes Jimmy Lee Recreation Center and Great River Water Park.
The shooting of the 16-year-old happened in the parking lot of the building at Lexington Parkway and Marshall Avenue.
While the shooter’s first name was Exavir, the shootee’s first name was “JuVaughn.” They sound like traditional Minnesotan first names straight out of Prairie Home Companion.
The teen underwent emergency neurosurgery and remains in the intensive care unit with a life-threatening injury, according to the criminal complaint. …
The complaint gives the following information from prosecutors:
Witnesses reported “a big group of students” left Central Senior High School and went to the rec center across the street after school. There was a fight among girls at the rec center, Binford came out and told the students to leave. No one was allowed in the rec center because of the fight.
Students remained in the parking lot and talked. A girl got permission from an employee to let her male relative into the rec center, but “Binford was upset because another employee undermined his authority,” the complaint said.
Binford later told police he “had words” with the girl who let her relative into the building.
“Binford explained to the girl she had to understand the rec center’s rules,” the complaint said. “Binford got fed up, clocked out, and left the building. Binford heard the girl talking about him to her friends as he was leaving. Binford told the girl to shut the (expletive) up. The girl stepped up to Binford and told him not to talk to her like that.”
The 16-year-old, referred to in the complaint by his initials of JT, intervened. A girl who joined in the fight described it as “pretty physical,” saying JT and another 16-year-old, RC, grabbed and punched Binford. She said “it only lasted a couple of seconds. As soon as the physical fight ended, Binford backed up, pulled out his gun, and shot JT right in the head,” the complaint continued. …
After his arrest, Binford said he felt threatened by JT and RC even though they’re teens. He said JT thought he was reaching for a gun, but he was just looking for his bus pass. He said JT dared him to shoot him.
“JT told RC to call someone to bring all the sticks,” the complaint continued about Binford’s account. “Binford didn’t know what JT meant but he thought it probably meant to bring weapons”
Binford said he walked away to catch his bus, and told JT and RC “that if they wanted to do something to him he would be at the bus stop,” the complaint said. “Binford said he felt threatened because of JT and RC’s past behavior. As Binford walked away, RC got into his way. Binford gave RC a ‘baby shove’ to create space. RC and JT ran up and jumped him. Binford ended up on the ground, but he was able to flip JT, and Binford threw a couple of punches at RC. Binford’s jacket was being pulled over his head. Binford said, “I ain’t gonna lie — I pulled my pistol.’ … Binford added, ‘I just felt like if you wouldn’t put your hands on me this wouldn’t happen you know what I’m saying.’”
There was a car between Binford and the teens, and he estimated he was 10 to 15 yards away from them when he fired his gun once. He said he didn’t know if anyone had been shot when he left the area.
Binford had a permit to carry a firearm. JT and RC were unarmed.
When investigators asked Binford why he shot “when they were all just standing there, Binford had no explanation and said it was just in the moment and he was sorry,” the complaint continued.
“Binford admitted he could have done something differently. Binford said he wouldn’t have shot (the teen) if they hadn’t put hands on him. Binford said they made his job hard, and he just wanted to come to work every day. Binford said it was not intentional — he didn’t come to work with the intent to harm someone. … Binford said he knew he could have left.”
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said Friday that his thoughts are “with the young man who is fighting for his life, and his friends and loved ones.”
“While we have taken meaningful steps together, as city and county leaders, to address this epidemic of gun violence in our community, it is clearly not enough,” he said in a statement. “Too many people have too easy access to deadly weapons that are all too often being used to respond to conflict — with devastating consequences. This gun violence is senseless and it needs to stop. Public officials cannot do it alone. We need all of our community pulling together to do everything we can to stem the tide of violence. Our children deserve to be safe in our community.”
From the shootee’s lawsuit:
Family of teen shot outside St. Paul rec center seeks to hold city liable for employing shooter
Kyle Brown KSTP
January 19, 2024 – 7:00 PM
The mother of a teen who was shot in the head last year outside a St. Paul recreation center is now suing the city for employing the shooter even though he had a history of complaints.
The lawsuit filed in federal district court alleges Exavir Binford Jr. violated then-16-year-old JuVaughn Turner’s civil rights when he shot Turner in the head on Jan. 18, 2023, outside Jimmy Lee Recreation Center.
The filing also claims the city did not adequately discipline Binford for a past assault and later failed not to investigate a separate complaint of Binford threatening to shoot a rec center visitor.
In December 2019, the city suspended Binford for five days after he punched a visitor at Arlington Hills Community Center. Binford did not receive any deescalation training after the fact, and in August 2022, he transferred to Jimmy Lee Rec Center, where he was promoted to community relations specialist, the lawsuit states.
A few months before the shooting, in October 2022, Binford allegedly threatened to shoot a 17-year-old girl and her friends, saying, “I will Swiss cheese y’all.” The girl’s mother filed a complaint with the city, but the lawsuit claims she never received a response and the city did not initiate an investigation.
Of course, JuVaughn’s background probably has a few colorful incidents as well.
