Religious discussion leads to stabbing in Spokane

A religious discussion turned bloody this morning after Spokane police say an 18-year-old man brandished a knife. Shawn R. Smith is accused of stabbing Adam L. Frantz, 24, in the torso and hands about 4:15 a.m., leaving several non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Frantz told police he was drinking with Smith and discussing religion in the 3600 block of West Longfellow Avenue when the two began arguing and a fight ensued. Smith was arrested at a home in the 6100 block of North A Street, where police say he told them “I didn’t stab him; I barely poked him with that,” after officers found a folding knife in his pants pocket. Smith told police he and Frantz “had gotten into a heated discussion over conflicting theological issues,” according to court documents. He said he brandished the knife in self defense as Frantz punched him. Smith remains in Spokane County Jail after appearing in court today on one count of first-degree assault.