BEND, Ore. — A district attorney says a grand jury has indicted a white man on multiple charges, including murder, in the shooting death of a Black man outside a nightclub in Bend.
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said during a news conference Thursday evening that Ian Cranston was indicted on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, assault and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of Barry Washington Jr. earlier this month.
Hummel told a crowd that gathered for the news conference that he has received emails and phone calls from a number of Black residents following Washington's death.
"You described how uncomfortable you feel walking the streets in Bend. Most chilling to me was your description of how the killing of Barry Washington impacted your children. Thank you for taking the difficult step of reliving your pain to tell me what I needed to hear."
He went on to say there is a "reckoning with race" that needs to happen in Central Oregon. He also embraced the presumption that Cranston is innocent until proven guilty but said he's confident his office will obtain a conviction against Cranston.
Cranston has been held in Deschutes County Jail on a no-bail warrant.
Hummel says an investigation into whether the shooting was motivated by race remains active. It wasn't immediately known if Cranston has a lawyer to comment.
