Harris trial boils down to 8 seconds
Apr. 25—COLFAX — The 2021 College Hill shooting case isn't a matter of whether suspect George Melvin Harris III had the right to defend himself, but if his use of force justified the death of 23-year-old Liban Barre.
Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dan LeBeau and Public Defender Steve Martonick relayed versions of this in their closing arguments Thursday during Harris' trial at Whitman County Superior Court in Colfax.
A jury of 12 Whitman County residents, two serving as alternate jurors, began deliberations after the attorneys' statements. The weeklong trial, which began Monday, will resume Friday morning with the possibility of reaching a verdict on Harris' pending first-degree manslaughter charges.
Harris is accused of fatally shooting his Pullman roommate, Barre, and injuring Brandon Gray in September 2021. Harris claims he was attacked during a party on Pullman's Northeast Lybecker Road and fired his Glock 19 in self defense.
The case launched a yearslong Pullman Police Department investigation into the matter, which was completed in June. Gray's uncooperativeness with authorities was cited as preventing prosecutors from charging Harris until last summer.
LeBeau and Martonick said it is an undeniable fact that Harris was ambushed by several men, one possessing a Airsoft BB gun that could easily be mistaken as a real firearm.
Witness testimonies from Wednesday recalled a group of men in the direction of shouts exclaiming "you're going to die now" heard shortly before seeing muzzle flashes.
Neuropsychologist Thomas Farrer and neurologist Seth Stankus confirmed in court Thursday that Harris suffered from a "traumatic brain injury" from being struck in the head. The two derived their conclusion from reviewing a Pullman Regional Hospital emergency room visit report days after the incident, along with reviewing on-scene police body camera footage.
LeBeau said Harris was well in his right to pull out a handgun and defend himself. However, LeBeau disagrees with how Harris chose to use the weapon — what he described as shooting in the darkness toward a crowd of people.
King County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Matt Lacy, who performed Barre's autopsy, testified Wednesday that eight gunshot wounds entered from the backside of his body.
LeBeau said Harris' time to act had passed as he chose to shoot at his assaulters who were running away. He claimed Harris used more force than what was necessary by recklessly discharging his firearm 21 times.
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