UPDATE - 10 year sentence: Charges unclear for WM that "goodified" negro in Bend, OR: Self defense? or Jewish media writing narrative?

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Charges unclear for accused killer of Barry Washington Jr. in Bend shooting​

Family of a Black man killed in Bend question the law enforcement narrative of his death, claiming he endured racist targeting prior to a shooting outside a nightclub in Bend.
www.opb.org

Charges unclear for accused killer of Barry Washington Jr. in Bend shooting​

Sept. 22, 2021 2:49 p.m.

A prosecutor describes a romantic beef gone wrong. But friends and family of the victim dispute that narrative.​

Formal charges have yet to be filed against a white man accused of shooting and killing a Black man in downtown Bend on Sept 19.
Barry Washington Jr. was unarmed when he died after a single gunshot wound, officials said. He was 22.

Bend police officers were called to the scene just after midnight and arrested Ian MacKenzie Cranston, 27. Cranston was booked into jail on suspicion of second-degree manslaughter and soon posted a $10,000 bond to be released.

Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said investigators are still determining what charges Cranston will face. Prosecutors intend to seek an indictment by presenting evidence to a grand jury before Oct. 5.

The quick release of the accused shooter and law enforcement’s initial public description of the events leading up to Washington’s killing have outraged some of his family and friends, according to numerous social media posts.

Hummel said the events Saturday started with Washington approaching and complimenting a woman described as Cranston’s girlfriend. A video camera captured an ensuing scuffle involving several people, Hummel said, with shoving and punches thrown outside of the Capitol bar in Bend.

“The punches had stopped and it was just some shouting. And then at that point, Cranston pulled a gun out of his waistband and shot,” according to the district attorney.

Hummel said there was “no justification” for Cranston’s use of the weapon.

“The question I have to decide is whether Cranston’s decision to shoot was motivated in part by [Washington’s] race,” he added. “At the end of the day, it comes down to what was his motivation at the instant that he committed the crime.”

A Facebook profile appearing to belong to Cranston identified him as a machinist in the rifle department at Nosler, an ammunition manufacturing company based in Bend. The profile also listed a manufacturing instructor position with Clackamas Community College. A spokesperson for the college confirmed Cranston was a part-time faculty member from April 2018 until March 2020.

Screenshots of Cranston’s posts were obtained by OPB, but could not be independently verified because the profile was no longer publicly viewable by Tuesday morning, following Cranston’s release from jail. Images from the now-closed social media account show numerous posts from 2011 and 2012 using the n-word. Another post, apparently created when Cranston was about 17, reads: “AR-15, here I come!!”

At the time of the shooting, Cranston held a concealed handgun license, Hummel said.

Washington’s friends and family have taken to social media to question the law enforcement narrative suggesting a chance encounter with Cranston. Public posts by an aunt and a cousin-in-law claim Washington said he had endured racist targeting and harassment in Bend prior to the night he was killed.

Bend city councilors issued a joint statement about the shooting this week, calling Washington’s death “totally preventable.”

“We must dig deep and examine ourselves and the systems and culture that have brought us to the point where a young person is shot and killed in our downtown,” it reads in part.

“Gun violence is a routine part of life in other places. We do not accept it here.”

The statement does not explicitly mention race.

“We call on the community to come together and focus on how we can prevent these tragedies from happening in the city we all love,” the city council wrote. “We call for justice and support for Mr. Washington’s family as they grieve this tragic loss,” it reads.

Washington was from the Bay Area and had recently moved to Bend.

“He wanted to travel and experience life on his own as a Man,” according to a Facebook post from Lawanda Roberson, his mother.

Washington’s body was sent to a crime lab in Clackamas County for an autopsy, before being returned to a Deschutes County funeral home and released to his family Tuesday evening, Hummel said.

The district attorney justified the autopsy, saying it was meant to “avoid any speculative argument made down the road on some technicality regarding the cause of death.” He said it is not standard practice to ask families for permission.

Longtime Bend resident and activist Riccardo Waites said the killing hits home for him.

“Bend is regressing instead of progressing when it comes to race issues,” said Waites, who is Black, and a founder of the nonprofit Central Oregon Black Leaders Assembly.

“Right now, I’m in the middle of deciding, do I send my daughters to another state while I continue to fight social justice issues and racial sensitivity issues here? Is my family safe?”

Vigils in honor of Washington’s life are on Wednesday and Thursday evenings starting at 6:30 p.m. at Peace Corner, on Greenwood Ave. and Wall St. A GoFundMe page called “Justice for Barry (B.J.) Washington Jr.” raised more than $5,000 in its first few hours Thursday.

Fifteen-year-old Wrenna Laudenslager lights a candle at a memorial near where Barry Washington Jr. was killed in downtown Bend on Sept. 21, 2021.



More links:

Video of Bend shooting angers many​

A video purporting to show the fatal shooting of Barry K. Washington Jr. in downtown Bend last week was released Monday, bringing anger and confusion to the literal door of

www.bendbulletin.com

Barry Washington Jr. Killed By White Man After Supposedly Talking to His Girlfriend​

On Thursday, a grand jury indicted 27-year-old Ian Mackenzie Cranston fatal shooting of 22-year-old Barry Khristiano Washington.
www.blackenterprise.com

Ian Cranston arraigned on second-degree murder, other charges in shooting of Barry Washington Jr. - KTVZ​

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Deschutes County grand jury late Thursday indicted Redmond resident Ian Mackenzie Cranston, 27, and he was quickly arrested, then arraigned Friday on second-degree murder, manslaughter and other charges in the Sept. 19 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Barry Khristiano...

ktvz.com

Oregon man charged in fatal shooting of man who spoke to his girlfriend​

An Oregon man has been arrested and indicted on charges stemming from the fatal shooting of a man that prosecutors say occurred after the victim spoke to the suspect's girlfriend.
www.cnn.com

DA: Man killed downtown Bend had asked out shooter's girlfriend​

A man was shot and killed outside a bar in downtown Bend this weekend after he asked out another man's girlfriend, according to the Deschutes County District Attorney.

www.redmondspokesman.com

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[Arheel's Uncle]

Ian Mackenzie Cranston, 27,

DESEGREGATION NEWS.
10 year sentence.

Ian Cranston sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing Barry Washington Jr.

Ian Mackenzie Cranston was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison for shooting and killing Barry Washington Jr. outside a bar in downtown Bend in September 2021.

www.bendbulletin.com

Ian Cranston sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing Barry Washington Jr.​

• By BRYCE DOLE The Bulletin
• Nov 28, 2022 Updated Nov 28, 2022

Ian Cranston, seen here Nov. 9 while testifying, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Barry Washington Jr. outside The Capitol Bar in Bend in September 2021. A jury found Cranston guilty of first-degree manslaughter.
Dean Guernsey/Bulletin file

Ian Mackenzie Cranston was sentenced on Monday to 10 years in prison for shooting and killing Barry Washington Jr. outside a bar in downtown Bend in September 2021.

Judge Beth Bagley announced the sentence during a hearing at the Deschutes County Circuit Court. A 12-person jury earlier this month rejected a second-degree murder charge against Cranston but found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter as well as lesser charges of second-degree manslaughter, assault and the unlawful use of a weapon.

Sentences for all of Cranston’s charges will run concurrently, and he will not be eligible for parole or a sentence reduction.

The hearing came amid emotional statements from Washington’s grieving loved ones, who spoke through tears about how Cranston’s decision that night impacted the family.

“Ian took away a piece of our puzzle, a piece we’ll never get back,” said Chanelle Sellers, Washington’s cousin.
“Now, I’ll never be able to hear his laugh again,” said Aliyah Langston, Washington’s cousin.
“I am fragile and broken,” said La’Wanda Roberson, Washington’s mother. “And I have felt sadness and despair beyond what words can explain. My child was taken from this earth.”

Cranston declined to say anything during the hearing.

Bagley said she hoped that, contrary to his trial testimony in which he stood by his decision to kill Washington, he would do things differently if he were in that situation again.

“I can’t imagine how you couldn’t want to do it differently,” Bagley said, “how you couldn’t think that you did wrong, that you couldn’t realize now after you hear how many lives you’ve shattered, first and foremost to Mr. Washington’s family, your family, yourself. Everybody here lost, some much more than others.”

The jury’s verdict was seen by some as a moment of justice for Washington, who was killed during a fight outside the Capitol Bar after he complimented Cranston’s fiancee.

The verdict brought an end to one of the most high-profile cases Deschutes County has seen in years, one that sparked protests for racial justice because Cranston is white and Washington Black.

Washington punched Cranston in the face twice during the fight before Cranston pulled out his gun, stood for 30 seconds, aimed his gun and fired a single shot into Washington’s torso. Cranston asserted he killed Washington, who was unarmed, in self-defense.

In their victim impact statements, some of Washington’s family members were dismayed that the man who killed their loved one would only serve 10 years, the mandatory minimum sentence for committing first-degree manslaughter in Oregon.

Roberson acknowledged to the court that she was initially happy with the jury’s verdict. Then she heard what Cranston’s sentence would be.

She described it as a “slap on the wrist for murdering my son.” SHADDUP

“He will be able to get out of prison before he’s 40,” she said of Cranston. “He will be allowed to get married, have kids and have a normal life. His mom will be allowed to see him and hug him while I have to go visit my son at a cemetery.”

Roberson said the trial and all its drama — from a video of the shooting being released and aired on a television news station, to attempts by Cranston’s defense attorney to portray Washington as a gang member even though he was never in a gang — made her miserable and depressed.

She said she had daily nightmares of people getting shot and began taking anxiety medication as she saw racist comments made about her son on social media. In her statement, she held onto a belief she had voiced previously during the case.

“What’s clear to me is that if my son were white, he would be alive today,” Roberson said.

Washington’s loved ones echoed Roberson’s sentiment, describing Cranston as “racist” and “a coward.”
Still, they clung to their memories of Washington, a man they described as selfless and caring, someone who could cheer them up when they were down. They spoke about how he loved playing sports and was a talented lyricist.
They remembered babysitting him when he was a child.

In a letter that was read in court by a prosecutor, Washington’s brother, Brylen Island, noted that he wouldn’t have a brother to teach him to play basketball, to give him dating tips, to help him with his homework.

“I feel like Ian doesn’t deserve to see daylight,” said Takerra Roberson, Washington’s cousin, “because he made a decision to carelessly kill a beautiful soul.”

Accused man’s fiancée testifies in Bend murder trial, as prosecutors hone in on perceived threat

Prosecutors attempted to establish that Ian Cranston was not in danger when he shot and killed Barry Washington Jr.

www.opb.org

Accused man’s fiancée testifies in Bend murder trial, as prosecutors hone in on perceived threat​

By Joni Auden Land (OPB)
Nov. 5, 2022 8:10 a.m.
Prosecutors called Ian Cranston’s fiancée to the stand Friday as a key witness to the 2021 shooting and killing of Barry Washington Jr. in Bend.
The prosecution — using Allison Butler’s testimony and cellphone footage she took of the shooting — attempted to shape their argument that Cranston was not actively threatened when he fired the bullet outside a bar in downtown Bend that killed Washington.

Cranston is on trial for second-degree murder, manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon. The shooting, which happened following the racial justice protests of 2020, has drawn significant attention because Cranston is white and Washington, who was unarmed, was Black.
Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney J. Michael Swart shows a handgun owned by 27-year-old Ian Cranston. Cranston is accused of shooting and killing Barry Washington Jr., 22, during an altercation outside a Bend bar in 2021.
Jack Harvel / The Source Weekly
Butler, 28, explained that she and Cranston had been dating for eight years and moved to Deschutes County from the Portland area in 2020.
Deputy District Attorney J. Michael Swart asked her several questions about the couple’s use and ownership of firearms. Firearms, she said, are a hobby they both participated in: Cranston worked at an ammunition maker in Bend and the couple visited shooting ranges regularly, and owned several firearms.
She also said her fiancé regularly carried a concealed gun, for which he had a permit, including when they went hiking and were out together.

Butler was with Cranston and other friends drinking in Bend the night Washington was killed. She said Washington flirted with her on multiple occasions inside The Capitol bar. Butler told the jury she declined Washington’s advances, saying she was engaged, and parted ways with him after a hug.

Later that night, Butler said, Washington again complimented her outside the bar and Cranston cursed at Washington, telling him to leave. That situation eventually escalated when Washington punched Cranston twice in the head, at which point Butler said she pulled out her cellphone to record the fight.
She said Washington then pushed her phone back toward her when he saw she was filming. The footage captures Washington appearing to move toward Cranston before a single shot is fired. The defense maintains Cranston was acting in self-defense when he shot Washington.
Right after Cranston shot Washington, the cellphone footage captures Butler saying, “He f-cking hit me.”
Swart told Butler in court Friday that her statement that night was incorrect, and that Washington pushed her, instead of hitting her. Swart told the jury that Butler “changed her story” in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
On the stand Friday, Butler initially insisted that Washington hit her, but eventually agreed that she was not hit, while emphasizing that she thought his actions crossed a line.
“Maybe it wasn’t the right choice of words, but in that moment I felt violated,” Butler said.
Swart also pointed out that Washington punched Cranston nearly 30 seconds before he was shot. Prosecutors honed in on that time gap during opening statements to insist that Cranston was not acting in self defense.
Swart repeatedly referenced Butler’s earlier testimony before a grand jury, seeming to imply that bits of her testimony on Friday contradicted earlier statements she gave. For example, she said Cranston never used profane language, but Swart read earlier testimony describing the opposite.
Swart also pointed out in questioning that Butler has dated Cranston for years and is currently living with his parents.
During cross examination, defense attorney Kevin Sali asked Butler if she made up any part of her testimony to protect her fiancé, which she denied.
Sali told the court he would reserve the right to call Butler back to the stand later in the trial. Cranston’s trial is scheduled to resume Monday, when the prosecution will continue with its case.