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July 13, 2010 in City
Man shot to death in West Central Spokane
Cheryl Steele awoke to the sound of gunfire in her front yard at 2105 W. Boone Ave. early Tuesday morning, July 13, 2010. One man lay dead in what police suspect is a gang-related shooting at the foot of her neighbor’s front porch. “This house has a family tradition,” Steele said. “We’re not going to let some gangsters ruin that.”
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
Gunfire awoke Spokane community activist Cheryl Steele just after midnight Tuesday.
The founder of the city’s first police substation looked out a window of her home at 2105 W. Boone Ave. and saw a bleeding man lying near her neighbor’s front yard.
Police later identified him as 29-year Nathan D. “Trigger” Gilstrap: the city of Spokane’s third murder victim this year.
No suspects have been identified.
Gilstrap’s murder comes after months of deteriorating conditions in the West Central Neighborhood, Steele said. She started the first police substation in 1992 after two neighborhood girls were kidnapped and murdered. Crime dropped over the next 15 years, Steele said, but assaults, drug houses and gang graffiti are on the rise again as volunteers at the police stations decline.
Steele pointed to several gang-related graffiti tags on buildings in the last month, including a gang name spray-painted down an alley from where Gilstrap was shot.
“When we don’t respond, it leads to incidents like the one we had last night,” Steele said. “We need to get community members out and back into the cop shops.”
Police released few details about Gilstrap’s murder.
Steele said she heard four gunshots, “then I heard the big shot, then I heard someone say ‘Oh my…God,’” Steele said.
Gilstrap was dead on the lawn next door to Steele when police arrived. Police believe he was shot in front of Steele’s home and ran several feet before collapsing. No information on how he was shot or possible suspects have been released.
Gilstrap is a gang associate with criminal convictions, including seven theft-related felonies, beginning in 1995. He’d been out of custody since June after being sentenced to 14 months for criminal impersonation and is a witness to a fatal stabbing last summer.
In that case, Gilstrap was with two suspects police say stabbed 24-year-old Vitaly M. Shevchuk to death on July 6, 2009.
Gilstrap had been drinking with Maggie M. Tyler and Matthew M. Nedeau when Tyler and Nedeau attacked Shevchuk after the victim yelled something at their passing car, according to court documents. Nedeau and Tyler are in jail on second-degree murder charges.
Gilstrap helped police identity the suspects and was not charged in the incident.
Like Gilstrap’s murder on Tuesday, police characterized the stabbing last summer as gang-related.
But Steele bristles at that description.
“It’s sort of like saying that life didn’t count because it was gang-related,” Steele said. “It counts to somebody. Somebody gave birth to that life. Somebody loved that soul.”
But so far, community outcry against gang violence in Spokane has been quiet.
“The community doesn’t seem to want to rally around that,” Steele said.
Spokane police spokeswoman Jennifer DeRuwe said budget cuts have left the police department with fewer resources for community programs. Next year, neighborhood resource officers will be eliminated.
“It will get worse until it gets better,” DeRuwe said. “You have to take ownership in your neighborhood … and make an effort to let bad guys know what’s not going to be allowed.”
Human trafficking suspects released 
mikeln on July 13 at 1:21 p.m.
Time to put down the ticket pad, stop beating the hell out of innocent people and start working on the gang problem. Please, just do the job the people pay you for.
eagleproducer on July 13 at 2:28 p.m.
mikeln: Good luck with ALL that…
SpokaneLiberal on July 13 at 3:29 p.m.
I agree with mikeIn. No one cares about people driving 30 in a 25 that is as wide as 7 cars. With the reputation of SPD it might be better to fire the whole department and hire a whole new police department who or none at all than let them write 90K tickets but not lift a finger to help anyone who really needs interdiction.
toobright on July 13 at 4:18 p.m.
Oooooohh, this shooting was the fault of the Police! Ok, I totally missed that in the article. Probably the wording of, “The victim died before Police arrived”. I’ll be sure to read between the lines in the future. Note to self: When idiot gangs kill each other and/or commit other crimes, blame the Police. Ok, got it. Good to go.
spokanada on July 13 at 4:25 p.m.
nottoobright,
A note to self is exactly how it sounds. Normally it isn’t something you post for others to read.
zelda on July 13 at 5:39 p.m.
Too many men under age 30 without jobs makes for a long, violent summer.
eagleproducer on July 13 at 7:44 p.m.
Good point, Zelda, except I doubt Gilstrap held a job any time recently.
This was probably a revenge killing for him ratting out the two involved in the stabbing last summer.
Always warn your children: Snitches get stitches.
Dazzeetrader11 on July 13 at 8:02 p.m.
Verner spent money on buildings and has cut the police budget. Not too bright of her. What exactly has she done as Mayor?
Vote this one out. SHe in fantasyland….and further cut in police and fire are now assured. Gangs happen in a vacuum. Drugs and gangs and payback is how it works.
I hate seeing any young man murdered. The liberal in me thinks they will wake up given enough time and enlightenment. Not enough time for this kid.
Nomore on July 13 at 8:38 p.m.
Just look at the birght side and know the gang count is down by one. Be worried there is one banger out there that can aim, though they say it was A gun shot that killed him and on Krems video it also says several shots were fired.
Blah Blah.. just happy another banger paid the price of being societies trash.
terryalan on July 13 at 8:46 p.m.
nomore….totally on!!!! I”ve been thinking all day that it is a shame that there wasn’t a higher body count. The faster the bangers kill them selves (each other) the better for society.
Shame the feds don’t just put a bounty on banger’s heads…
ultra_litigator on July 13 at 8:49 p.m.
Criminal Impersonation in the First Degree has a range of 0 to 12 months with no supervision (no probation). I was the one who prosecuted Gilstrap on his last felony. Because of my efforts, he recieved an aggravated sentence based on his extensive criminal history. The court because of the aggravated sentence finding could have imposed up to 60 months supervision and/or up to 60 months incarceration. He was sentenced after I was fired. (Fired for running for prosecutor.) At sentencing I was going to ask that he be supervised after release, so he wouldn’t be drinking or hanging around with felons. From what I remember seeing in the paper he received 14 months with no supervision (with an automatic 1/3 to 1/2 off the sentence. Prosecuting career criminals and just letting them hit the streets without any supervision is a recipe for disaster.
injunjoe107 on July 13 at 8:54 p.m.
Here we go again. This city will never learn that cutting police and fire budgets will never fly!
I worked in the Felony Flats area for several years and at the start when I saw problems I would call the police and let them know what was going on. Then it became, you call and leave a message they might get to the next day.
Volunteers are down because the police prescence is down. No one wants to be on the firing line when there is no one to back them up. Get more police on the streets! All the streets!
Albert on July 13 at 9:07 p.m.
‘It will get worse until it gets better,” DeRuwe said. “You have to take ownership in your neighborhood … and make an effort to let bad guys know what’s not going to be allowed.”
“assaults, drug houses and gang graffiti are on the rise again as volunteers at the police stations decline.”
#1: The SPD is so corrupt that volunteers would be ashamed to be affiliated with this group of sub-humans.
#2: How do you propose Officer DeRuwe that the citizens of Spokane keep the “bad guys” under control? If we were to arm ourselves, patrol our neighborhoods, and enforce the laws that the SPD will not do, in all likelihood, we would be shot by the officers. This statement is made not in a joking manner, but in all sincerity.
#3: The SPD is in need of professional law enforcement training. I’m sure that Ron the Cop would agree with me on this. As a former Level I Officer from Ron’s area, I attended 3 Sheriff’s academies, an FBI advance training academy, and ongoing “required” monthly (8 hour) seminars. As a Level I “reserve” officer, I had 24 hr. arrest authority throughout the State of CA. and carried my Glock on duty and off duty. I was shocked at the primitive state of the SPD and SO when I moved to Spokane in 1993. It has yet to change.
#4: If the “Guild” were to respect their reserve officers, and the State of WA would provide the needed benefits to reserve officers like that of California, I can assure you that the crime rate in Spokane would plunge. The citizens of Spokane are not imbeciles and do not deserve to be “talked down” to by Officer DeRuwe in this manner. They pay their taxes, expect adequate service by the SPD, and certainly a degree of respect that is obviously lacking.
Unless this gang “problem” is addressed very quickly, then we all know what the end results will be. We do not need to be mocked by the people who are paid to protect us. We need a complete change of command in the SPD along with a good majority of the officers therein. We know of course that this is impossible, thus the results are predictable.
zelda on July 13 at 9:07 p.m.
Internecine attrition won’t solve anything. In a gang culture where “live fast, die young” is the philosophy of life, finding new members to replace the dead isn’t a problem.
Nomore on July 13 at 9:34 p.m.
Zelda, I agree with your post ” finding new members to replace the dead isn’t a problem”
However if parents would take hold of their children and teach them right and wrong as they once did, these gangs would stand no chance.
I can personally say as for my children I am an extremly proud parent. My children respect one another and their elders without question. My oldest is in high school and there is alot of peer preasures yet she is very well mannered and will not be associated with those kids that are being raised by failures to end up as failures.
Our success, all of ours lies within our youth. We volunteer in many events for the youth and to help better them. We need more people active in reaching out to the ones that are willing to learn what success is. Sad as it sounds but for those that are lost, leave them.. lock them up and put mom and dad in a cell next to them. Failure is their fault. People only fail if they want to, should they choose that path then so be it and good riddence.
Dazzeetrader11 on July 13 at 9:48 p.m.
Vote for David Stevens! Vote for an attentive Prosecuting Atty.
It’s a vote for the community….and your future!
Verner needs to go!
Ron_the_Cop on July 13 at 9:59 p.m.
I’m on record the issues with SPD are with its leadership and not necessarily with the troops. Mayor Verner should fire Chief Kirkpatrick and Asst. Chief Nicks and bring in real leadership. See former Sheriff Tony Bamonte’s recent LTE:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jul/04/leadership-lax-at-city-hall/
The many fine men and women of SPD deserve much better including a City Council that is in tune with the real community and not sustainability debates. DO NOT VOTE for Steve Tucker. I haven’t decided yet but my vote will probably go with Stevens and or Bugbee for County Prosecutor. We need a strong and aggressive prosecutor that will prosecute corrupt politicians and police that cross the line.
BitofBacon on July 13 at 10:44 p.m.
Sure, fire all of the cops and let the Alberts of the world take over. Then we could really sit back and have a laugh.
Erik_T on July 13 at 10:46 p.m.
I know of one high ranking individuals in the SPD who is the most liked and respected senior officer amongst his peers and subordinates.
However, I am not certain as to his want/need to fill a position such as assistant chief or chief. Many of you that have close affiliation with the SPD may know whom I speak of. Everything I know of him and his character is outstanding. He is truely what this city needs. I must speak with him about it one of these days….
mikeln on July 14 at 5:04 a.m.
I had a drug house next door to me at one time. I took down license plate numbers and reported bad behaviour. The police threatend to arrest me after I got tough with some idiot, parked in my driveway while his girlfriend went next door, at three in the morning, to buy drugs. I got the people who rented the house to evict the people, the police never really did anything to help me.
Scoutster on July 14 at 6:34 a.m.
Gang, huh?
Short of “Crazy Killer Escapes at County Fair”, it’s hard to beat a headline that has “Gang” in it. People are so afeared of gangs.
What meets the SPD definition of “gang”? I have asked, and been told there is no specific criteria.
Whenever you hear the police talk about “gangs”, ask yourself who benefits most from such a characterization.
JayNW on July 14 at 7:08 a.m.
Spotucky- its people like you that our community can do without. You and even Defense attorneys who tell people they are “rats” for speaking the truth. Spokesman review needs to take that comment away. We don’t need people advocating the “no snitch” thing. Teach your children to speak the truth and not to condone the gang behavior.
toobright on July 14 at 7:16 a.m.
Don’t be completely fooled by davestevens campaigning here on this blog. Do your research. The best candidate is Chris Bugbee.
Truthhurts on July 14 at 7:17 a.m.
We need to end recreational drug Prohibition, and legalized, tax, and regulate recreational drugs so that we can totally “defund” the gang lifestyle.
Then, police efforts which have been aimed at the “War on Drugs” can be re-focused as the “War on Thugs,” as the police end violence in our neighborhoods.
Prohibitions merely create the wealth that thugs use to buy the weapons as they fight over illegal business turf — whether Al Capone and his gangland murders, or modern thugs.
Police resources should not be wasted on consenual contracts between adults, and should be aimed at violent crime and at property crime (nonconsensual, genuine crimes).
SpokaneLiberal on July 14 at 8:37 a.m.
I won’t call for more police spending until the police can learn to behave themselves. If the police were true professionals and not people who arrest school teachers for working in their garden, hogtie and suffocate innocent janitors and shoot people in the back then maybe I could get behind more police.
Instead of wasting money enforcing speeding which does nothing to improve the integrity of our neighborhoods, maybe we should spend that money on gang intervention, or homeless treatment, or providing jobs to people to build our town.
SpokaneIsFun on July 14 at 8:49 a.m.
1. One less gangster. Nickname of “trigger?” WOW, I am impressed with this idiot.
2. Reading these blogs shows Spokane Police Dept has a long way to go to get the citizens behind them. City council and SPD need to work together on this.
Orange on July 14 at 9:58 a.m.
Like these blogs really mean much.
But you’re right, one less gang banger, no money spent on the bullet. Just the autopsy.
Let em do each other in.
many of you who claim to be insiders, have no clue. including Ron another dumb cop.
” DeRuwe said. “You have to take ownership in your neighborhood … and make an effort to let bad guys know what’s not going to be allowed.”
Will do. Thanks for the permission.
melissag on July 14 at 10:43 a.m.
Hey you know what as you for you Nomore who are you to judge and say those horrible things? does that make you feel good about yourself…you must not be a very good person! you know what your right gang bangers are no good but to say that stuff that young man went down the wrong road you don’t know what his life was like..I’m sitting here right now reading this with his aunt..you should be praying because you are no better!! Grow up and get a life besides sitting on the computer talking badly about people
Ron_the_Cop on July 14 at 10:44 a.m.
Orange,
I’m not disagreeing with what DeRuwe said. I’ve taught Community Oriented Policing. Think counter insurgency strategy we’re now employing in Afghanistan. You need the support of the community to help it police itself.
My point is resources have been cut severely. This has nothing to do with the fine men/women who are the boots on the ground. They deserve better leadership. The Mayor and Council are failing to do that for a number of reasons. See the extensive comment thread on the death of Ms. Saruwatari:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jun/27/arrest-still-churns/
BTW there is another thread started on this article:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jul/14/chaos-close-to-home/
liarsinnews on July 14 at 10:58 a.m.
Jennifer DeRuwe continues her short of money cry, and Mayor Verner continues to blackmail the citizens with threats about police layoffs instead of putting priorities first and cut out some of the bloat in city hall that are not essential to safety. Verner should cut non-essential positions and quite crying wolf every time someone is killed and tell Jennifer to stop whining about resource
bszottlinger on July 14 at 11:13 a.m.
I’m at a real loss here. How do you correlate a gang shooting with police and leadership malfeasance?
Dazzeetrader11 on July 14 at 11:14 a.m.
dick: Verner has spent 11.8 million on buildings, payoffs, etc since Jan 1. She’s made her own debt. Council was lied to and deceived to give her the green light. Profligate spending.
7 of those millions were spent on the police. The police are simply full of garbage. Jenn is simply spewing the Union line of more..more …more. And “more” they will get. Remember “never let a crisis go to waste”…well here is one the police will capitalize on.
Don’t be fooled. Verner’s setting the public up for more expenditures. She and the Union/police leadership know exactly what they’re doing. BOTH need to leave.
And Ron…thanks for posting this link to catch us up. I don’t know why the Spokesman does this…reposting as story and making readers begin a series of comments from scratch. Doesn’t make sense.
SpokaneLiberal on July 14 at 4:14 p.m.
Daisy if the Cops are going to arrest schoolteachers for not dropping gardening tools fast enough, kill handicapped janitors, and shoot people in the back, some of us would rather have buildings than more thugs, I mean Cops, on our streets.
eagleproducer on July 14 at 8:05 p.m.
JayNW: Save your rant about snitching for Gilstrap…
Oh, wait…
The “truth” you should tell your children is that ratting people out will often come back to bite you in the arse even if it is the right thing to do. And Gilstrap only sang like a bird because he wanted to save his own skin. Is that the message to tell your kids, tell tall tales to the police to avoid a longer sentence? Why would the police even believe him? Why are people going to jail based almost entirely upon the testimony of a lifelong felon? Keep telling your kids that is alright, JayNW. I won’t.
I wholeheartedly agree with Albert’s criticism of DeRuwe’s pleas for people to take back their neighborhoods. How about her department do their jobs and fight crime instead of constantly hassling poor people and the homeless? Maybe the SPD would have more money and cops for the streets if they didn’t have so many sitting behind desks awaiting trial for their crimes?
BerlyGirl on July 14 at 8:39 p.m.
His name Was Nathan Gilstrap. Nate to his family . He was the driver of his ship. His choices had consequences and he knew that. He was loved by a father, Chuck. He will be missed by many. Rest in Peace Nate.
misjustice on July 15 at 11:03 a.m.
THIS David Stevens, DAZE, of quid pro quo fame? This is the guy that you think will clean up Spokane? That will be the type of prosecutor that the County deserves/needs?
“A candidate for Spokane County prosecutor has accepted a $500 campaign contribution from the wife of a man being prosecuted by the office he wants to oversee.
Records show that Republican prosecuting attorney candidate Dave Stevens accepted the donation in February and has kept the money despite knowing that the contributor’s husband, David Elton, faces three counts of felony harassment.
David Elton wrote in an e-mail in February that he would “donate as much as he could afford” to Stevens’ campaign. Documents from the state Public Disclosure Commission show that Elton’s wife, Belinda Elton, contributed $500 in February.”
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens/2010/apr/05/eltons-wife-donated-stevens-campaign/
Ron_the_Cop on July 15 at 12:32 p.m.
Misjustice,
LOL - Life is a bunch of chocolates. We must play the cards we are dealt. I’m still studying whether Stevens, Bugbee and or Malone will get my support. I’m not voting for Tucker. I want a strong aggressive prosecutor that’s not willing to continue with the status quo in this office.The League of Women Voters candidate forum for County Prosecutor was recorded last night. I don’t know what the schedule is yet for rebroadcast on Comcast Channel 5.
bszottlinger on July 16 at 10:34 a.m.
@Ron_the_Cop
Before we, all receive your endorsement for Spokane County Prosecutor. To gain some perspective I for one, would like to know what your relationship is with Kenneth Dreger the radical right-winger who started the “Homeland Security Policy Group Inc.” where you and your wife are listed as directors. Some of Dreger’s other websites include Immigrationclearinghouse.com, BPAUX (Border Patrol Auxiliary), and Patriotjobs.net to name a few. You are a prolific poster throughout the Internet and it appears you are very conservative, having a distain for the Mainstream Media (MSM) as well as strong opinions on other issues.
I consider myself somewhat conservative but I do on occasion vote for Dems and was wondering what your prospective on the two Democrat candidates is.
Brad Szottlinger
Ron_the_Cop on July 16 at 4:28 p.m.
Brad,
I answered your challenge in the other thread on the new endorsement for Bugbee:
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/sirens/2010/jul/15/bugbee-earns-another-endoresment/
Orange on July 17 at 5:31 p.m.
Ron always turns any article with the word police in it into a political issue. Motives.
Ron_the_Cop on July 17 at 9:32 p.m.
LOL - It’s the real world.
shameonyou on July 19 at 12:51 p.m.
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU FOR THINKING OF THIS YOUNG MAN AS JUST A GANG MEMBER WHO GOT WHAT HE HAD COMING TO HIM. He was loved. He was a friend brother son and an uncle. He made bad choises but did not deserve to die like that. Please tell me how I am to explain to his niece and newphews how it was ok for someone to take his life. He has spent time in jail for all he has done. Shame on you HIS life was taken and it is his fault? BULLS**T. When someone close to you is taken this way I pray people don’t say that that life didn’t mean anything cuz every life matters and you will burn in hell for speaking ill of the dead. I pray for you all.
Orange on July 20 at 8:48 a.m.
thanks for the prayer shameonyou. I have one for you too.
Erik_T on July 24 at 2:24 a.m.
shameonyou; I suggest you tell his nephew and niece to get an eduction, better themselves, and do not follow, but lead and determine their own futures’ (while possibly doing some good during their lifetimes).