Ex-Marine’s Attorney Says Killing Was Self-Defense Trial Begins For Man Accused In Shooting Outside Strip Club In The Spokane Valley

A former Marine accused of killing a man outside a Spokane Valley strip club last summer acted in self-defense, his attorney told jurors Tuesday.

On trial for first-degree murder, Eric Swanson, 20, admits shooting 26-year-old Robert H. Wolbing Jr. shortly after midnight on June 26.

In his opening statement, defense attorney Carl Oreskovich said Swanson, who is 5-foot-7, feared for his life after the 6-foot-6-inch Wolbing angrily approached him in the DejaVu Night Club parking lot.

“He’ll tell you, ‘I panicked, I fired (the gun), I was afraid,”’ Oreskovich said of his client.

Deputy Prosecutor Mark Lindsey told the jury the shooting was premeditated.

Swanson fired three .40-caliber bullets into Wolbing - the first two hitting the victim in the hip and forearm, Lindsey said.

The third bullet, which entered Wolbing’s lower back, was fired from a distance of 18 to 30 inches, the prosecutor said.

Swanson, home on leave that night, went out partying with two friends, authorities said. After midnight, they left the East Sprague strip club. While walking across the parking lot, they apparently exchanged insults with three men in a car. One of those men was Wolbing.

He and his friends quickly got out of the car and began following the others.

Witnesses told detectives that Wolbing, who worked for a Valley van company, was leading the pursuit. He took off his jacket, as if preparing to fight Swanson.

In less than 20 seconds, Swanson ran to his car, took out the Israeli-made handgun, inserted a clip of eight bullets, then returned to point the pistol at Wolbing.

After Wolbing was shot, the victim’s friends hid behind nearby cars.

Lindsey said Swanson moved forward and fired several shots in their direction, wounding David Quigley, 27.

Afterward, Swanson jumped into a Ford Bronco and fled the scene. He was arrested a short time later, after getting involved in an accident at a Valley intersection.

Swanson, who is not in custody, is no longer a member of the Marine Corps, Oreskovich said.

Prosecutors originally charged Swanson with second-degree murder. The first-degree murder charge was filed after investigators gathered additional forensic evidence, Lindsey said.

Testimony in Spokane County Superior Court is expected to last more than a week. Swanson is also charged with three counts of first-degree assault for shooting at Quigley and the other two men.

, DataTimes