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Portland man sentenced to 14 years in shootings

By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Local News Editor
Published: January 3, 2017, 9:05pm

A Portland man involved in two Vancouver shootings within a month, in which two people were injured, was sentenced Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court to 14 1/2 years in prison.

Shawn D. Crawford, 24, shook his head as the sentence was handed down and was reluctant to sign the judgment. His attorneys had argued for a 12-year sentence.

However, Judge Daniel Stahnke said he could not overlook Crawford’s “callous disregard to the safety of others.”

“You were completely out of control in January 2015,” he said.

Still, Stahnke said he would give Crawford a “taste of mercy” by not sentencing him to the top of the range, which was requested by the prosecution. That sentence would have been a little more than 15 years. He urged Crawford to come back to the community after he’s released from prison and be a role model for kids who are leading the same lifestyle.

Crawford had pleaded guilty last week to first- and second-degree assault. In exchange for his guilty pleas, the original charges, which included attempted first-degree murder, were amended. His sentence included two deadly weapon enhancements — 24 and 12 months that run consecutive to the standard sentence.

According to court records, he shot a man out of jealousy during a New Year’s Eve party on Jan. 1, 2015, at a residence in the 7200 block of Northeast 101st Avenue in Vancouver.

Crawford attended the party with his girlfriend, and when a young man from Portland hugged his girlfriend, he became angry and a fistfight broke out, a probable cause affidavit states. He then shot twice at the man and “emptied his clip,” while the victim tried to run to safety. Crawford struck the victim in the thigh and stomach area, court documents said.

Investigators found 12 spent casings in the roadway. Crawford fled before authorities arrived.

While gang detectives were investigating that incident, Crawford was arrested in connection with a different shooting Jan. 30, 2015.

He was one of three males who fired at least 12 rounds at a group of people sitting on the porch of a house in the 2300 block of Neals Lane in Vancouver at about 2:45 p.m. the same day, according to a separate probable cause affidavit. One of the bullets struck a 16-year-old boy in the knee.

The shooters fled in a green van that was chased by several vehicles. The chase ended at East 33rd Street and St. Johns Boulevard, where a second shooting occurred after the trio realized they were being followed, the affidavit states.

Crawford and his brother, Mykease O. Lamb, then 16, also from Portland, ran from the van but were later captured by officers, according to court documents.

Lamb, who was identified as the shooter who struck the boy, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in August 2015 to 12 years in prison.

The third co-defendant, Brandon M. Duckworth, then 19, drove away in the van but was later identified by the Portland Police Bureau’s Gang Enforcement Team and was arrested. He also pleaded guilty and was sentenced in the spring to 13 years in prison.

Deputy Prosecutor James Smith said Crawford may have been affiliated with multiple street gangs and that his father was killed because of his own gang involvement. He said that although the affiliation doesn’t excuse Crawford’s actions, it may help explain them.

Crawford’s attorneys Chuck Buckley and Matthew Hoff denied he was involved with a gang.

“The reality is Mr. Crawford, unfortunately, has had a hard life,” Buckley said. “He’s an intelligent young man, but for this incident he could have done anything he wanted.”

He asked the judge to consider Crawford’s youth and limited criminal history — until now he had no felony convictions.

Buckley and Hoff both argued that Crawford should be sentenced to the low end of the range: 111 months, plus the deadly weapon enhancements.

“If he hasn’t learned his lesson after 12 years, he’s not going to learn it after 15,” Hoff said. “He’s going to have to carry this with him for the rest of his life.”

Crawford submitted a written statement to the court, in addition to speaking.

“I take responsibility for my actions,” he said. “Having a gun wasn’t right and shooting wasn’t right. But where I come from, everyone carries a gun for protection.”

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