Duluth teen charged with killing friend last summer certified to stand trial as an adult

DULUTH — A Duluth teenager who was originally charged in juvenile court in the shooting death of his childhood friend was certified earlier this week to stand trial as an adult.

Corey Devon Young, who turned 18 last month, is charged with second-degree murder and possession of a pistol. He allegedly shot Xzavier Louis Aubid-St. Clair in the face in July during an argument in front of Young's apartment in Duluth's Endion neighborhood.

"I swear it was self-defense," Young allegedly told police officers when he was arrested. "I felt threatened. He was saying I was [a] snitch and all that. I didn't know what to do."

According to court documents, video surveillance from a nearby apartment shows the two men talking. Young pulls a gun from a fanny pack and shoots Aubid-St. Clair, 17, in the face, and he drops to the ground, documents said. When emergency crews got to the scene, the victim was bleeding and gasping for air. He was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.

Young was on probation at the time for a previous firearm offense. Aubid-St. Clair, who went by "Zane," was a student at Duluth East High School and enjoyed spending time with his family, according to his obituary.

At a recent certification hearing, Aubid-St. Clair and Young were described as friends.

Young moved this week from the Arrowhead Juvenile Center to the St. Louis County jail. His next court date is Jan. 17.