PULLMAN, WA – The suspect from the 2021 fatal shooting on Pullman’s College Hill is standing trial for manslaughter this week. 26-year-old George Melvin Harris III faces felony 1st degree manslaughter in Whitman County Superior Court. The jury was seated Monday morning and arguments get underway this afternoon in Colfax.
Harris is accused of fatally shooting his Pullman roommate 23 year old Liban Barre in September of 2021. Harris also reportedly shot former Washington State University football player Brandon Gray. Gray was seriously injured but refused to cooperate with investigators. His refusal to talk with detectives prevented prosecutors from filing charges against Harris for allegedly shooting Gray.
The fatal shooting occurred near a large party on College Hill. Harris reportedly told Pullman Police that he was acting in self-defense. The lengthy Pullman PD investigation took years to complete before charges were filed in June of last year.
Harris’s manslaughter trial is scheduled to run most of this week in Whitman County Superior Court.
