The trial of Ian Cranston began on Tuesday, Nov. 1, over a year after Cranston shot and killed 22-year-old Barry Washington outside of The Capitol, a bar in downtown Bend just after midnight on Sept. 19, 2021. Cranston is accused of second-degree murder, first and second-degree manslaughter, assault and unlawful use of the weapon, all of which Cranston pleaded not guilty to in a hearing on Dec. 7, 2021.
The case has sparked controversy for the original charge of manslaughter and quick release of Cranston the afternoon after the shooting, and for perceptions that the shooting was racially motivated. Cranston, who is white, shot Washington, who is Black, after he complimented Cranston’s fiancee, Allison Butler — drawing comparisons to the lynching of Emmett Till after he allegedly whistled at a white woman. District Attorney John Hummel said he’d bring bias charges if his office could obtain sufficient evidence to prove the shooting was at least partially motivated by race, but no additional charges have been filed.
The timeline of events from court documents and testimony at Cranston’s bail hearing in January show Cranston, Butler and Cranston’s friend Tyler Smith arriving at The Capitol at 11:12 pm, just a few minutes after Washington arrived with his friend Austin Herndon. Washington first approached Butler and complimented her inside the bar around midnight. Butler told Washington she was engaged, and the encounter ended amicably with a hug.
At 12:05 am Washington left the bar and chatted with a group. Two minutes later Cranston and his group left the bar to smoke. Washington walked away from his group and again complimented Butler, telling her she’s “good looking.” Cranston told Washington that Butler was taken and told him to move along and mind his business. Washington continued speaking to Butler, and Cranston told Washington to f*** off, according to the state’s memorandum.
The argument continued to escalate and at 12:08:49 am Washington punched Cranston twice, causing him to stumble backwards. Within five seconds he was holding a previously concealed pistol to his side. Smith started fighting with Washington and then they continued arguing. Washington started moving away when Butler approached Washington while filming on her cell phone, which Washington pushed away. Washington and Smith again started struggling, at which point Cranston assumed a shooting stance and fired a shot at Washington’s torso. Cranston started rendering aid 17 seconds after firing the shot at 12:09:22, and police arrived about five minutes after, prosecutors say.
Washington was transported to St. Charles Medical Center where he died during surgery. Police charged Cranston with second-degree manslaughter and by the afternoon he was released after posting 10% of his $100,000 bail. On Sept. 30 Hummel announced in a press conference that Cranston had been arrested on a no-bail warrant for murder, manslaughter, assault and weapons charges.
“I’m confident that murder is the correct charge. But if you commit murder intentionally, you’ve also killed someone recklessly. We sought the murder conviction in this grand jury, we’ll be seeking the murder conviction at trial. But if you do the greatest crime, you’ve also done the lesser crimes,” Hummel told members of the press at the time.
At the trial prosecutors will have to prove Cranston intended to kill Washington and that Cranston doesn’t meet the standards for self-defense. To prove self-defense, Cranston’s attorney must show that Cranston faced an imminent threat of bodily harm.
A trial memorandum from the defense posted on Oct. 31 asks the judge to exclude testimony about other downtown police dispatches, the level of danger members of Cranston’s group reported feeling, character evidence about Cranston and a no-gun sign at The Capitol. The memorandum also asks the judge that Washington be referred to as an alleged victim rather than a victim, and introduce evidence that allegedly links Washington to gang activity. Washington’s mother La’Wanda Robinson sought a protective order claiming Washington’s phone records were outside the scope of the search warrant for the phone.
Jury selection is set to start Wednesday, Nov. 2 and opening arguments could be heard as soon as Nov. 3. The trial will take an estimated eight to 12 days in court over the coming three weeks, with the last scheduled court date on Nov. 18.
This article appears in The Source Weekly November 3, 2022.
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Allison Butler should be charged as well as she seems clearly an accomplice. She instigated that situation video taping him and putting a phone in his face and then showing absolutely no shock or remorse that her boyfriend shot a man on the street. I surely hope he gets what he deserves. And I hope she is haunted for the rest of her life for knowing she has participated in the killing of a human being. She should be asking for forgiveness from his family and stepping up and doing the right thing at trial to try and bring justice for Barry and his family.
What happened to good old fist fight? “Dude you talking to my girl? Step outside.” Cranston should be convicted of murder. Someone trying to make moves on your girl (whether Washington was or not) should not end up with a gun pulled out.
My only request is this, lets not make this racial just because the man was black, two men got into a fight and one of them pulled out a gun which he should not have and shot him it doesnt matter if he was green yellow brown orange… two men got into an altercation and one man is dead and one man is facing life in prison for this, please lets keep the race garbage out of it!!
Even though Washington is dead, which I feel for the family, Washington was not exactly innocent in all of this, maybe Washington should not have kept coming on the mans girlfriend after he was already told to back off, he just wouldnt take no for an answer, from what I heard he was told to back off three times, When a man comes on to another mans woman, and does it repeatedly when he is told to stop, it never ends well.
I don’t believe it should be assumed this was racial, or that it wasn’t. Cranston and his girlfriend may or may not have histories of sympathizing with white supremacy and IMO that ought to come out in the trial.