Spokane divided over death in car theft

Published 4:27 pm Thursday, March 28, 2013

SPOKANE — The shooting death of a man who was driving away in a stolen vehicle is polarizing the Spokane community.

Brendon Kaluza-Graham was shot to death by Gail Gerlach as he drove away with Gerlach’s vehicle on Monday.

The Spokesman-Review reported that a poster intended to memorialize the slain man has become a message board for a community divided about whether the shooting was justified.

One message on the poster reads: “Murder is not the answer.”

But another says: “Don’t commit crime! This is what happens!!”

The board is nailed to a utility pole next to the garage that police say the 25-year-old Kaluza-Graham slammed into after Gerlach shot him in the head. The dead man was not armed.

The 56-year-old Gerlach could face charges if the shooting is ruled unjustified.