WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
LOCAL NEWS
Hermiston man killed in shooting at beginning of holiday weekend
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
and TAMMY MALGESINI
Staff Writers
A Hermiston man was
shot to death early Saturday
morning at an apartment
complex on Southwest 13th
Place in Hermiston, and po-
lice continue the search for
a man they believe is con-
nected to the death.
Police were dispatched
at 2:31 a.m. after receiving
a report of gunshots in the
area of 525 S.W. 13th Place,
the Viewcrest Apartment
complex, a block north of
Highland Avenue. While
en route, police received an
update that a man had been
shot.
When an officer arrived
at 2:35 a.m., he began ad-
ministering CPR to James
John Cragun, 38, a resi-
dent of the apartment com-
plex. A medic, who arrived
a short time later, began
working on him but Cragun
was pronounced dead at the
scene.
The area major crime
team was activated, includ-
ing officers from Board-
man, Umatilla, Umatilla
County, Morrow County,
Oregon State Police and the
Umatilla Tribal Police.
As of Monday after-
noon, Hermiston Police
Capt. Travis Eynon said
there were no updates to the
case and wouldn’t confirm
if a weapon had been found.
Police initially taped off a
large portion of the apart-
ment complex, the street
and a nearby field on High-
STAFF PHOTOS BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Police from multiple agencies investigate the scene of a fatal shooting Saturday at Viewcrest
Apartments in Hermiston. The major crime team was activated after the man was shot to
death early Saturday morning.
land, which they combed
for evidence on Saturday
morning.
Police have identified
Tyree Houfmuse, 34, as
a person of interest in the
death and have asked to
speak with him. Houf-
muse is African-American,
6-foot-1, 200-240 pounds
and has several tattoos in-
cluding a large rose on the
left side of his neck. Any-
one with information about
Houfmuse’s whereabouts is
encouraged to call 541-567-
5519. Police Chief Jason
Edmiston said Tuesday he
sees no distinction between
a person of interest and a
suspect.
Houfmuse has been ar-
rested for several other
violent disputes in Herm-
iston and Tri-Cities, most
recently for a shooting in
November 2014 outside
a Kennewick bar that left
another man paralyzed.
He was arrested by federal
agents in Hermiston short-
ly after, but a jury in 2015
ruled that Houfmuse acted
in self-defense.
In 2005, Houfmuse
pleaded not guilty to an
attempted murder charge,
in which he had allegedly
fired shots into a moving
vehicle with three people
inside. No one was injured
in the incident. The charge
of attempted murder was
dismissed, but Houfmuse
was charged in that incident
with menacing, assault in
the third degree, unlawful
use of a weapon against
another, criminal mischief
and unlawful possession of
a firearm.
Friends have set up a
GoFundMe account to as-
sist Cragun’s family with a
funeral and other expenses,
at
www.gofundme.com/
helpthecraguns.
Cragun
was a father to young chil-
dren, according to the page,
but attempts to reach his
family and the facilitator of
the fundraiser were unsuc-
cessful.
Cragun had been charged
several times in the past
few years for assault, in-
cluding in November 2016
for assault in the fourth de-
gree, strangulation and ha-
Take a walk for life, get free ice cream
All participants in the Preg-
nancy Care Services’ fundraising
walk will receive a token for free
Dairy Queen ice cream.
The annual Walk for Life is
Friday with registration at 6 p.m.
and the walk starting at 6:30 p.m.
at McKenzie Park, 320 S. First
St., Hermiston. Participants are
asked to collect pledges and bring
them to the walk.
Pledge sheets are available at
www.pregnancycareservices.com
or at Pregnancy Care Services,
105 S.W. Second St., Hermiston.
Anyone collecting or contribut-
ing $50 or more will receive a
free T-shirt. Teagan Birt, youth
group member at Solid Rock, is
coordinating a contest for youth
group — with the one collecting
the most money receiving a prize.
“This is one of our favorite
fundraisers,” said Debbie Ciss-
na, director. “It is an event every
member of the family can enjoy.”
Money raised from the event
helps the nonprofit organization
in serving clients from the local
community. Pregnancy Care Ser-
vices offers free pregnancy tests,
life affirming options counseling,
adoption referrals, information
about abortion procedures and
risks, post abortion counseling
and community referrals. The
center also offers classes to teach
parenting, relationship, and gen-
eral life skills. All of the services
are free and confidential.
For more information, call
541-567-2393.
Hermiston and county to hold joint EOTEC meeting
HERMISTON — The
Hermiston City Coun-
cil and Umatilla County
Commissioners will meet
together Thursday to dis-
cuss the Eastern Oregon
Trade and Event Center.
The meeting will be
June 1 at 6 p.m. at EO-
TEC, 1705 E. Airport
Road.
The EOTEC board
had previously asked the
council and commission
for approval of a manage-
ment plan comprised of
a general manager super-
vising an administrative
assistant and contract for
maintenance and janitori-
al. The two entities asked
the board to come back
to another joint meeting
with budget and salary
comparison information
before they made a final
decision.
The meeting will in-
clude a chance for public
comment.
L i t t le
D a r l i n gs !
This special section will be fi lled with photos of and
messages for adorable little darlings from Umatilla County.
Families will want to keep this special keepsake for
their child and family for years to come.
Police from multiple agencies investigate a vacant lot in the
vicinity of Southwest 13th Place and West Highland Avenue,
Hermiston. The major crime team was activated after a man
was shot to death in the area early Saturday morning.
rassment. In March he was
sentenced to 180 days of
probation for that crime.
Two women who live in
units just across the park-
ing lot from the Viewcrest
building said they were
jolted awake by the sound
of yelling and gunfire ear-
ly Saturday. Both women,
who asked not to be identi-
fied, said it was frightening.
Fearing that bullets could
come through the walls, the
woman in the ground-level
apartment sprung to action
to ensure the safety of her
family.
“I grabbed the baby and
we went to the back of our
apartment,” she said.
Her upstairs neighbor
said the gravity of the situa-
tion didn’t initially register.
Other than an occasional
late night drinking party,
she said the neighborhood
is typically calm and qui-
et. At first, she thought the
popping sounds from the
gun was someone bang-
ing metal pans together.
Curious, she looked out-
side from her second story
apartment.
“I saw everything from
my bedroom window,” the
woman said. “I didn’t even
want to step outside.”
She said she also saw
a couple of cars speed off
from the area.
“They were going so
fast,” she said. “I couldn’t
even tell what kind of car it
was.”
Umatilla residents invited
to hear downtown plan
UMATILLA — The public
is invited to the unveiling
of
Umatilla’s
downtown
revitalization plan on June 6.
Graduate students from
Portland State University,
working under the name
Confluentis Planning, have
been working for the past six
months on the plan as their
capstone project for graduation.
They held several public input
sessions and focus groups and
worked with city officials to
get feedback on Umatilla’s
strengths and needs.
The final plan will be presented
at a Umatilla Together event
on Tuesday, June 6 from 5:30
to 7 p.m. at city hall, 700 Sixth
Street. Spanish translation and
refreshments will be provided.
BETTER HEARING
BEGINS HERE.
50
x
faster
sound processing
PUBLISHES:
June 28, 2017
DEADLINES:
Introducing Oticon Opn™
with BrainHearing™ technology
June 08, 2017
Olivia,
t.
I loved you from the very star
heart.
my
ed
rac
emb
,
You stole my breath
un.
beg
just
has
er
Our life togeth
.
You’re part of me, my little one
Love, Mom
Send in, or drop by, a
full color high resolution
photo, your child’s name
and a message to
your child today!
Little Darlings
211 SE Byers, Pendleton, OR 97801
333 E. Main, Hermiston, OR 97838
or email
classifi eds@eastoregonian.com
Finally there’s a hearing device that works in harmony with your brain, constantly scanning
your listening environment so you can distinguish speech from noise. It’s Oticon Opn™.
Only Opn uses Oticon’s exclusive BrainHearing™ technology to process all the sounds
around you exceptionally fast. As a result, you can understand speech better and focus
on what’s important, even in complex listening environments. And because Opn takes the
work out of hearing, your brain will be free to do other tasks, like remembering more of
your conversations. Oticon Opn is the smart choice for effortless, more natural hearing.
2237 Southwest
Court Place
Pendleton, OR 97801
541-276-5053
Your Name:
Phone Number:
Child’s Name:
Message:
www.eastoregonian.com
www.hermistonherald.com
2WLFRQ2SQ7KH¿UVWKHDULQJGHYLFH
SURYHQWRPDNHLWHDVLHURQWKHEUDLQ
Less stress. More recall. Better hearing.