A 35-year-old St. Paul man has received a prison term of more than 11 years for fatally shooting a tenant of the adjoining duplex.
Brandis J. Wells was sentenced Tuesday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to second-degree unintentional murder in connection with the death of Jarrell R. Kirk Jr., 31, of St. Paul on Dec. 28, 2021, in the 500 block of Blair Avenue.
With credit for time in jail since his arrest, Wells is expected to serve slightly more than six years in prison and the balance on supervised release.
According to the criminal complaint:
Officers responding to several 911 calls arrived at the duplex and found a wounded Kirk on the sidewalk. Witnesses and others told officers that Kirk had a dispute with Wells over a woman who had left Kirk and moved in with Wells.
The woman "antagonized [Kirk] constantly and intentionally fueled the conflict," the complaint read.
"I just beat him to the draw," Wells told police several days later. "I thought he was going to live. ... I didn't mean to kill that dude."
