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.”

“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.”