A man has been sentenced in connection with a shooting incident that occurred in Pullman in September 2021. George Melvin Harris III, 26, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter for the death of Liban Barre, 23, during an altercation outside a party on NE Lybecker Road. In addition to Barre’s death, Harris also shot Brandon Gray, a former Washington State University football player, who sustained serious injuries and did not cooperate with the investigation.

During a trial in April, a Whitman County Superior Court jury found Harris guilty. On Friday, Judge Roger Sandberg sentenced him to three years in prison, which is the minimum sentence for the charge. In his statement to the court, Harris expressed remorse and claimed he acted in self-defense, stating he was attacked by a group of men that night. He discharged his firearm 21 times, hitting Barre eight times. Harris is currently appealing his conviction.

The Pullman Police Department conducted a three-year investigation into the incident before charges were filed in June 2024.