MINOT – It happened shortly before 2 a.m. on May 14 of this year, shots fired inside the Original Bar. At 2:12 a.m. Greyson Sletto, 32, Willow City, was pronounced dead.
The man arrested for the shooting, 40-year-old Travis McDermott of Minot, made a Thursday morning court appearance before Judge Todd Cresap. The appearance was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. However, it wasn’t until 10:22 a.m. when McDermott was escorted into the courtroom by a Ward County deputy.
McDermott waived his right to a preliminary hearing and the appearance continued with an arraignment. Attorney Elisabeth Hewett presented witness statements to support the contention that her client, McDermott, acted in self-defense after being assaulted.
Tiffany Sorgen, attorney for the state, objected, saying, “Self-defense is for trial, not a preliminary hearing.”
Judge Cresap allowed the questioning of a witness to continue.
Sorgen pointed out that carrying a firearm in a bar was illegal and that the deceased was not armed.
McDermott entered a “not guilty” plea. Hewitt then sought a reduction in bond which had been previously set at $500,000.
Sorgen responded to the court by saying, “Someone died. That was the end result. $500,000 is not an outrageous amount for the offense.”
Cresap settled on a $250,000 bond. He also addressed the defendant, telling him, “Carrying a loaded gun in a bar is a monumental stupid thing to do.”
Cresap determined that there was enough evidence for the matter to proceed through the legal process. A pretrial conference for McDermott has been set for September 13 at 11 a.m. in North-Central District Court.
The entire affair began when police responded to a May 14, 2023, report of shots fired at the Original Bar and found Sletto on the floor inside with two gunshot wounds, one to his chest and another to his lower back. Nearby, McDermott was being detained by bar patrons who told police that McDermott was the shooter.
According to investigators, the incident stemmed from a dispute between McDermott and Sletto, with McDermott brandishing a firearm before being pushed to the ground by Sletto. Police say McDermott admitted to responding by shooting Sletto twice.
The charges against McDermott are Manslaughter, a B felony; and Reckless endangerment, a C felony. If convicted of the most serious offense, McDermott faces the possibility of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
