The Oregon man who shot dead a Black man outside of a local pub after the victim praised the girlfriend of his white boyfriend has been charged with murder. In the death of 22-year-old Barry Washington Jr. on Thursday (Sept. 30), 27-year-old Ian Cranston faces murder charges, first-degree homicide charges, felony murder charges, assault and unauthorized use of a weapon.
A white woman told Washington she looked good and Washington complimented her outside the Capitol Club on Sept. 19. “I have a boyfriend,” she told Washington. The district attorney in Deschutes County was of the opinion that the boy “responded appropriately” when she turned down his advances.
Washington, however, later that night became involved in a physical altercation with Cranston and some of his friends outside of the bar. The exchange of words and punches was tense, Hummel said.
As Cranston was doing so, he was reportedly “pulling a gun out of his waistband and firing,” striking Washington once. As a result, Cranston passed away at a local hospital. On the night he was arrested, Clifford Cranston was charged with second-degree manslaughter, but he was later released after posting a $10,000 bond.
After Cranston was released on bail after the shooting, Hummel received many calls from angry Black people about the action. He stated, “You described how difficult it was for you to walk around Bend.” “The most chilling aspects of your testimony were the accounts of your children’s reactions to the killing of Barry Washington,” the district attorney stated in a statement on Thursday (September 30). Several relatives of Washington have posted on social media that Washington was harassed racially just hours before he was killed.
An investigation emerged into the death of 22-year-old Barry Washington Jr. and charges were filed against 27-year-old Ian Cranston for second-degree murder, first-degree homicide, felony murder, assault, and unlawful use of a weapon.
This article was penned by Jonathan P. Wright. Jonathan is a freelance writer for multiple mainstream publications and CVO of RADIOPUSHERS. You can read more of his work by clicking here.
