Prosecutor: Man accused of murder near Gonzaga was ‘on a mission’ over car title

The fatal shooting of a 46-year-old man last week near Gonzaga University stemmed from an argument over a vehicle title, according to court documents.

Zachary C. McGriff, 33, and his nephew, 19-year-old Marius A. Velazquez, are accused of following Shawn Cranford and his brother through Spokane, stopping at times to argue about a vehicle title, before Velazquez shot and killed him near a halfway house where Cranford and McGriff stayed.

McGriff appeared Friday in Spokane County Superior Court for his first appearance on suspicion of first-degree murder and first-degree robbery (carjacking). Court Commissioner Jerry Scharosch set McGriff’s bond at $1.5 million, noting concerns about children being present for the shooting and that McGriff was already on probation.

Court records show Spokane police detectives found probable cause to charge Velazquez with the same charges. Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor George Gross said Velazquez has not been arrested as of Friday afternoon.

Gross said a simple dispute over transferring a title instead resulted in Cranford’s death and the theft of his vehicle. He called McGriff a “man on a mission” that night.

“He was not to be deterred,” Gross said.

While Gross said Velazquez shot Cranford, McGriff did not try to dissuade his nephew from violence, and McGriff only escalated the situation as others, like Cranford, tried to resolve the problem.

Gross said McGriff shares “the same amount of culpability” in the alleged murder as his nephew. He asked Scharosch to impose a $1 million bond, a half million dollars below what Scharosch ultimately set.

Cranford’s family attended the court hearing, watching their loved one’s alleged killer on a monitor inside the courtroom.

Jeffrey Cranford, one of Shawn Cranford’s brothers, told the judge to keep McGriff in the Spokane County Jail without bond. He said McGriff “preys” on children to do things he can’t or won’t do and that McGriff will flee if he gets out.

Jeffrey Cranford called his brother a loving son, uncle and brother.

“He was loved by all his friends and all his family,” he said.

Officers responded about 7:10 p.m. Oct. 17 to Mission Avenue and Cincinnati Street for the shooting, according to court documents. One 911 caller reported a man pistol-whipped their mother’s ex-boyfriend. A subsequent caller said a man was shot and not moving on the ground.

Officers found Shawn Cranford shot in a yard behind 803 E. Sinto Ave. They also located a torn vehicle registration and a fired 9 mm shell casing in the yard. Shawn Cranford was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, where he died that night, more than two hours after the shooting.

Shawn Cranford’s brother, LeShawn Trammell, told police Shawn Cranford sold a white 2010 Mercury Milan to McGriff, who lived at a halfway house with Shawn Cranford less than a block from the shooting.

Shortly before 6 p.m. that night, Shawn Cranford drove his black Mercedes C 300 to pick Trammell up at his house near the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, Trammell said. McGriff followed Cranford with McGriff’s nephew, Velazquez, riding in the front passenger seat of the Mercury. Three others were in the back of the Mercury.

McGriff was arguing with Shawn Cranford about the title for the Mercury, insisting that they were going to resolve the issue that day and McGriff would continue to follow Cranford wherever he went until he received the title. Trammell said his brother told McGriff he did not have the title, and McGriff said he would accept $1,000 as collateral while he waited to receive the document.

Shawn Cranford had $800, and Trammell offered to get the additional $200 from a cash machine. Shawn Cranford drove him to a nearby credit union with the Mercury following behind.

Trammell withdrew the money, and Shawn Cranford provided the combined $1,000 to McGriff, Trammell said. The brothers then left the area toward Bong’s Grocery and Deli in West Central Spokane and the Mercury continued to follow them. Trammell went in the store to buy cigarettes, and when he came out, McGriff and Velazquez were still arguing with Shawn Cranford about the title.

Shawn Cranford told McGriff he did what McGriff asked by providing the $1,000, but McGriff continued to argue. McGriff and Velazquez then followed Shawn Cranford and Trammell to Safeway on Hamilton Street and Mission Avenue where Shawn Cranford’s girlfriend, Lanisha Tomeo, agreed to bring paperwork for the vehicle.

When they got to the Safeway parking lot, Shawn Cranford told McGriff the paperwork was with Tomeo and walked away in frustration to the halfway house, about one block away, to change his clothes. Tomeo said she did not want to exchange paperwork without Shawn Cranford there, and got back in her car to drive toward the halfway house, Trammell told police.

McGriff drove the Mercedes, with Trammell in the passenger seat, to the halfway house, while Velazquez followed in the Mercury.

McGriff parked the Mercedes in front of Tomeo’s car and instructed Velazquez to park behind her to box in Tomeo, who had four of her daughters in the car with her.

Shawn Cranford came out of the house and got the registration for the Mercury from Tomeo. He tried to sign the registration over to McGriff, but McGriff started “crashing out” and arguing it was not the same as the vehicle title. Shawn Cranford yelled he was done arguing and wanted his $1,000 back, according to Trammell.

He then saw Velazquez, with a pistol in his hand, try to hit Shawn Cranford in the back of the head with the gun. Shawn Cranford ran away, and Velazquez chased after him, trying to hit him with the gun. Shawn Cranford then turned around, picked up Velazquez, and slammed him into the ground.

McGriff then ran over and started punching Shawn Cranford in the head while he was on the ground, Trammell said. Trammell moved toward the group to help his brother when he heard a gunshot and Shawn Cranford say, “Bro, I’m hit.”

McGriff drove off in Shawn Cranford’s Mercedes, and Velazquez drove away in the Mercury, Trammell said.

Tomeo also told police the suspects boxed her in outside the halfway house. She said Velazquez walked up behind Shawn Cranford, pulled out a pistol and held it against the back of his head. Shawn Cranford turned around and grabbed the gun, wrestling with the suspect. The fight moved the two men into a yard, at which point she heard a gunshot and her daughters screaming.

An autopsy by the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office appeared to show that Shawn Cranford was shot in the back.

His Mercedes was found abandoned the day after the shooting outside a Spokane Valley home, according to police in court documents.

Three days after the shooting, police learned McGriff’s probation officer received a call from McGriff, who said he was innocent, would be contacting an attorney and was staying with an Amish family.

The program manager of the halfway house also reported receiving a text from McGriff that asked him to look at the surveillance cameras, said he did not shoot anyone and was meeting with an attorney.

“I just tried to get my car title and that happened man,” the text read.

Trammell called police a few days after the shooting saying he used social media to identify Velazquez as the person who shot his brother.

A detective asked Trammell how he knew Velazquez was the one who shot his brother, and Trammell replied, “I’ll never forget the person who killed my brother.”

McGriff, who remained in jail Friday night, is set for an arraignment Tuesday.