St. Paul set to approve $9.5M settlement in 2023 rec center shooting

Sentencing in rec center shooting

Exavir Dwayne Binford Jr. was sentenced to 125 months on Friday for shooting a 16-year-old boy at St. Paul's Jimmy Lee Rec Center in January 2023.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The St. Paul City Council is set to approve a $9.5 million settlement to the family of a teen shot in the head by a city employee at a rec center in 2023.

Settlement up for vote

What we know:

Council members will consider the settlement during Wednesday's meeting, more than three years after the then-16-year-old victim was shot in the head outside Jimmy Lee Recreation Center in January 2023.

Under the terms of the settlement, the city would pay out $9.5 million to the family in exchange for the family releasing all future legal claims against the city.

The victim, JuVaughn Turner, survived the shooting but was severely wounded in the near-deadly encounter.

Life changed forever

Dig deeper:

The civil lawsuit the family filed against the city details Turner's injuries:

It reads in part:

"Because J.T. was shot in the head, he has sustained serious and permanent injuries that will affect every aspect of his life – including but not limited to his physical and cognitive functions, his ability to work and hold a job, his ability to maintain relationships, and his ability to carry out basic day-to-day functions, and otherwise enjoy a "normal" and fulfilling life."

The lawsuit also detailed Binford's troubled history as a St. Paul city worker – including an allegation that he threatened to shoot another teen in another position. According to the lawsuit, the city failed to investigate that claim, which occurred just months before Turner's shooting.

City worker sentenced to ten years in prison

The backstory:

City worker Exavir Dwayne Binford Jr. was charged with attempted murder in the second degree for the shooting and ultimately pleaded guilty in February 2024 to first-degree assault. He is currently serving a ten-year sentence and is due to be released in December 2029.

Prior to the shooting, the teen was apparently involved in an argument with Binford that turned physical. According to the criminal complaint, prior to shooting the boy, a witness heard Binford utter: "If I got to kill somebody I will. I don’t give a f---."