Lazarus Burns sentenced for fatally shooting man who allegedly assaulted his girlfriend

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to four years in prison in connection with a killing in St. Paul's Dayton's Bluff neighborhood last year.

Lazarus Burns was sentenced Monday on a charge of second-degree manslaughter. He will receive credit for 180 days already served. 

A criminal complaint states Burns shot 30-year-old Jermaine Ray John Baker multiple times on July 27. Baker allegedly assaulted Burns' girlfriend — also Baker's ex-girlfriend — before the shooting, which occurred at a bus shelter near Earl Street and Third Street East.

According to police, officers talked with the woman, who said that she had been in a relationship with Baker in the past. She told police Baker had hit her in the past, but she never reported the assaults. She said she was currently in a relationship with Burns.

In November, Burns made a plea agreement. Charges that were dismissed included second-degree murder, reckless discharge and possessing a pistol without a permit.