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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Disagreements Escalating Into Violence, Police Say Young People Turning To Murder Over Disputes ‘Definitely A Trend’ Sheriff’s Officer Says

Neither Martin Tuinzing nor James Gebhard was looking for trouble the night they bumped into each other in downtown Spokane.

Tuinzing and Gebhard were out with friends having fun, according to documents filed this week in District Court.

But a snide remark passed between the two former Shadle Park High School students in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant, and trouble began.

When it was over, Gebhard, 22, was fatally stabbed, and Tuinzing, 20, was charged with murder.

It is a scene that is becoming increasingly common - a minor dispute between young people leading to extreme violence.

It’s happened a half-dozen times in the Inland Northwest so far this year.

Some examples:

Last month, a 14-year-old Spokane boy allegedly stabbed his sister’s boyfriend after the two argued about the man wearing the boy’s clothes.

In Coeur d’Alene in April, an 18-year-old man was charged with attempted murder after shooting at another teenager. Police said an argument over a coat preceded the shooting.

Also last month, prosecutors charged a 17-year-old Spokane girl with murder, accusing her of shooting a man to death after arguing over a can of beer.

“In the past, you might get a bloody nose out of a deal like that,” said Lt. David Wiyrick of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department. “And nobody would kick you when you were down. Now, who knows what’s going to happen? It’s definitely a trend.”

The latest scenario played itself out Oct. 4 when Tuinzing and Gebhard met in the parking lot of the Arby’s restaurant at Third and Washington.

It was about 11 p.m., and Gebhard and a couple of buddies just left the nearby Northern Corner tavern, where they spent part of that Friday night drinking beer and listening to music, court records state.

The three were crossing the Arby’s parking lot when Tuinzing and a friend walked past.

Tuinzing and his buddy planned to go to the Northern Corner themselves, but decided against it at the door because there was a cover charge that night, the records said.

As the two groups passed, Gebhard and Tuinzing exchanged words. It’s unclear from the court records who started the exchange, but tempers flared.

Tuinzing’s friend, Craig Volesky, told detectives he stepped between the pair in an attempt to stop the fight, but it was too late. Volesky said Tuinzing was already “aggravated.”

The ensuing fistfight was “comical” at first, one witness said. Both men missed each other badly with wild kicks and punches.

But Gebhard, a former high school wrestler, began to get the upper hand, another witness said.

He knocked Tuinzing down with one punch and sent him flying into a large trash container with another, said the witness, a man who was walking to his car when he saw the fight.

After the second fall, Tuinzing pulled out a knife, the man said.

The fight continued, and Gebhard “kept coming after him a couple of times” even though the knife was in plain view, said the witness, who knew neither fighter.

Several witnesses, including Volesky, reported seeing Tuinzing wielding the 4-inch blade, detectives said.

The two clashed once more, and Gebhard fell to the pavement, bleeding heavily from his chest, witnesses said.

One man told police he heard Tuinzing say, “Well, you attacked me,” as he backed toward Volesky’s car.

As Volesky and Tuinzing sped south to Volesky’s house in Spangle, Gebhard was rushed to the emergency room at Sacred Heart Medical Center.

His heart stopped twice in the ER, according to the court records, but he was revived both times.

Meanwhile, according to the court records, Volesky asked Tuinzing if he stabbed Gebhard.

“Yeah,” Tuinzing replied.

Tuinzing said he was sorry and scared about stabbing Gebhard, Volesky told police.

Gebhard died of his injury three days later.

Tuinzing turned himself over to detectives last Friday, the same day Gebhard’s memorial service was held at a north Spokane funeral home.

He bonded out of jail Oct. 12 and is awaiting trial.

, DataTimes