Convict gets 16-year prison sentence 13 years after fatal shooting outside Jefferson High School

Published 3:18 pm Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Shawn Degail Crawford faces 16 years in prison for the death of Deondrae Clark 13 years ago on Oct. 21, 2011, near Jefferson High School in Portland. (CMG file photo)

Shawn Degail Crawford faces 16 years in prison for killing Deondrae Clark 13 years ago on Oct. 21, 2011, near Jefferson High School in Portland.

On Tuesday, July 15, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Bryan Francesconi imposed a conviction for a first-degree manslaughter with a firearm charge in the case.

What happened

Clark was near Jefferson High School, where a football game was taking place, and stayed in the area after the game was over, officials said. For less than a minute, officers said Clark walked out of their view on North Emerson Street before hearing eight to 10 gunshots.

Officers found three handguns near the shooting scene, one of which had matching casings that were left at the scene. The firearm was later connected to Crawford through DNA evidence, officials said. Video surveillance also showed Crawford fleeing the scene after the shooting.

While the investigation was taking place for the 2011 homicide, Crawford was involved in other criminal conduct in Washington State. In 2017, Crawford was sentenced to just more than 13 years in prison for two 2015 assault incidents, one of which involved a firearm.

Crawford was indicted by a Multnomah County Grand Jury in 2018 for the fatal shooting of Clark. This 16-year sentence for the 2011 killing will keep Crawford imprisoned at the Oregon State Department of Corrections until 2034.