The St. Paul city employee accused of shooting a teenage boy in the head outside of the Oxford Community Center last week had previously served a five-day suspension in 2019 due to a "physical altercation" with an 18-year-old patron, Mayor Melvin Carter revealed during a press conference Monday.
"This new information raises urgent questions, not only about his conduct, but about our systems to identify, investigate and intervene in response to incidents and reports of behavior which fall beneath our standards,” said Carter, who added he was made aware of the previous incident on Friday.
Exavir Dwayne Binford Jr., 26, was charged Friday with one count of second-degree attempted murder and one count of first-degree assault. Binford has been terminated from his job overseeing operations at the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, Carter confirmed.
The city plans to hire an independent auditing firm to investigate the city's policies, practices and resources related to public safety, staff training and discipline and systems of support in the city's recreation centers.
Carter announced several other city measures in the aftermath of the shooting. The mayor called for the State Legislature to allow cities to ban firearms in recreation centers and libraries. An ordinance prohibiting St. Paul employees from carrying firearms already exists.
“We will either change that law at the Capitol or challenge it in the courts,” Carter said. “There is no acceptable reason for any person other than a licensed police officer to be allowed to carry a firearm at a recreational center, full stop.”
Carter also said the city is working closely with St. Paul Public Schools and the Met Council to urgently review dismissal protocols for students. Since the shooting, Carter said several parents and staff have told him that the conditions and conflicts for such an event have “been brewing for a long time."
"These concerns demand our full attention,” said Carter, who declined to take any questions from the media. “… It is our job, our resolve to take every possible step to ensure it never, ever happens again.”
The Jimmy Lee Rec Center, which is located across the street from Central High School near I-94, will remain closed indefinitely.
The city is hosting a mental health event Wednesday January 25th from 6-8 p.m. at Black Youth Art Center where mental health specialists will be available to speak with affected youth, staff and residents for free.
