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SR teen held in Petaluma killing
Fight erupts outside downtown bar; police say attack came after refusal to buy alcohol for 16 year old
By KEVIN MCCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A 16-year-old Santa Rosa boy who approached a group of men outside a downtown Petaluma bar early Sunday morning is in custody for allegedly stabbing two of them - one fatally - after a dispute arose over the purchase of alcohol.
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Petaluma resident Nathaniel Reifers, 31, was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital on Sunday morning.
It was the second homicide in a Sonoma County city's downtown in as many weeks. Matthew Toste, 32, was shot dead in Santa Rosa on Dec. 3 during a confrontation outside a nightclub.
Police say the latest incident began shortly before 2 a.m. when the youth, whose name was not released because of his age, asked a man standing outside a downtown bar to buy him some alcohol.
The bar, Gale's Central Club on Petaluma Boulevard South, has an "off-license" to sell beer and wine that can be taken off premises.
The altercation erupted when the man, 23-year-old Petaluma resident Salvador Cucci Jr., declined to buy alcohol for the youth, said Sgt. Dave Kahl of the Petaluma Police Department.
The young man allegedly produced a large, locking knife and stabbed Cucci in the leg during a fight. A fracas ensued, with several bystanders getting involved, Kahl said.
"It was pretty wild down there," Kahl said. "It was pretty chaotic for quite some time."
Police are still sorting through interviews to determine exactly what happened, he said.
"There were so many people involved that we don't even have a sense of it yet," Kahl said.
After the first stabbing, the youth fled north on Water Street, the alley that runs behind Gale's between Petaluma Boulevard South and the Petaluma River.
He was pursued by several men, including Reifers, a friend of Cucci, Kahl said.
Police originally identified Reifers as a Santa Rosa man, but close friends say he lived in Petaluma.
Near the rear entrance to Grazianio's Ristorante and Lounge, the altercation continued, and witnesses reported seeing the youth fatally stab Reifers, Kahl said.
The youth also suffered critical injuries in the altercations, including head injuries and several cuts. Police are investigating how he was injured and by whom.
No weapons have been recovered, Kahl said.
Reifers' friends were angry yesterday that a relatively trivial encounter could turn deadly so quickly.
"Sounds to me like it was one of the stupidest incidents that could have happened," said Tom Gaffey, owner of the Phoenix Theater and one of Reifers' good friends.
Reifers, a plumber, and his friend, Cucci, had been at the Phoenix Theater earlier in the night for a concert and had gone to downtown bars afterward, Gaffey said.
"That's just like him to step in for a friend in need," Gaffey said.
When police arrived on the scene, Reifers and the youth lay prone on the ground on Water Street near the intersection with East Washington Avenue, Kahl said. Cucci had been taken by friends to Petaluma Valley Hospital, where he was treated and later released.
Reifers and the youth were taken to Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, where Reifers was pronounced dead. The 16-year-old was arrested at the hospital on one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, Kahl said. He remains in fair condition.
Gale's patron Scott Adrian, 35, of Petaluma, said Sunday that Reifers had gone to Gale's Saturday night to meet some out-of-town friends who had returned to Petaluma for the holidays. Reifers had an infant daughter and was about to marry his fiancee, Adrian said.
"He doesn't even like going to bars," Adrian said. "He works hard and takes care of his family."
Adrian said he and Reifers met as students at Petaluma High School and both used to hang out at the Phoenix, a popular teen hangout.
"Kids need to think about what they are doing," he said. "A father got taken away from his family for no good reason."
Michael Sankey and Brett Lord, bartenders at Gale's, said underage kids do not come into the bar, but it's not unusual for them to hang around downtown on weekend nights and ask adults to buy liquor for them.
Lord, who was the bouncer on duty at closing time Sunday morning, said at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Cucci walked toward him and others in front of the bar and showed them a wound on his leg that looked "pretty bad."
Cucci was pale and looked like he was in shock and some friends took him to the hospital, Lord said.
Unlike the Toste killing, there is no indication that the incident was gang-related, according to Sgt. Matt Stapleton.
The incident comes just a few weeks after the Petaluma City Council voted to give police greater authority to crack down on teen drinking at parties.
The measure was in response to a recent survey that showed 35 percent of Petaluma high school juniors and 18 percent of freshman surveyed last fall engaged in binge drinking within a month of the survey.
The rates were significantly higher than those reported by students across the state.
SR teen held in Petaluma killing
Fight erupts outside downtown bar; police say attack came after refusal to buy alcohol for 16 year old
By KEVIN MCCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A 16-year-old Santa Rosa boy who approached a group of men outside a downtown Petaluma bar early Sunday morning is in custody for allegedly stabbing two of them - one fatally - after a dispute arose over the purchase of alcohol.
See story below
ADVERTISEMENT
Petaluma resident Nathaniel Reifers, 31, was pronounced dead at Memorial Hospital on Sunday morning.
It was the second homicide in a Sonoma County city's downtown in as many weeks. Matthew Toste, 32, was shot dead in Santa Rosa on Dec. 3 during a confrontation outside a nightclub.
Police say the latest incident began shortly before 2 a.m. when the youth, whose name was not released because of his age, asked a man standing outside a downtown bar to buy him some alcohol.
The bar, Gale's Central Club on Petaluma Boulevard South, has an "off-license" to sell beer and wine that can be taken off premises.
The altercation erupted when the man, 23-year-old Petaluma resident Salvador Cucci Jr., declined to buy alcohol for the youth, said Sgt. Dave Kahl of the Petaluma Police Department.
The young man allegedly produced a large, locking knife and stabbed Cucci in the leg during a fight. A fracas ensued, with several bystanders getting involved, Kahl said.
"It was pretty wild down there," Kahl said. "It was pretty chaotic for quite some time."
Police are still sorting through interviews to determine exactly what happened, he said.
"There were so many people involved that we don't even have a sense of it yet," Kahl said.
After the first stabbing, the youth fled north on Water Street, the alley that runs behind Gale's between Petaluma Boulevard South and the Petaluma River.
He was pursued by several men, including Reifers, a friend of Cucci, Kahl said.
Police originally identified Reifers as a Santa Rosa man, but close friends say he lived in Petaluma.
Near the rear entrance to Grazianio's Ristorante and Lounge, the altercation continued, and witnesses reported seeing the youth fatally stab Reifers, Kahl said.
The youth also suffered critical injuries in the altercations, including head injuries and several cuts. Police are investigating how he was injured and by whom.
No weapons have been recovered, Kahl said.
Reifers' friends were angry yesterday that a relatively trivial encounter could turn deadly so quickly.
"Sounds to me like it was one of the stupidest incidents that could have happened," said Tom Gaffey, owner of the Phoenix Theater and one of Reifers' good friends.
Reifers, a plumber, and his friend, Cucci, had been at the Phoenix Theater earlier in the night for a concert and had gone to downtown bars afterward, Gaffey said.
"That's just like him to step in for a friend in need," Gaffey said.
When police arrived on the scene, Reifers and the youth lay prone on the ground on Water Street near the intersection with East Washington Avenue, Kahl said. Cucci had been taken by friends to Petaluma Valley Hospital, where he was treated and later released.
Reifers and the youth were taken to Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, where Reifers was pronounced dead. The 16-year-old was arrested at the hospital on one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, Kahl said. He remains in fair condition.
Gale's patron Scott Adrian, 35, of Petaluma, said Sunday that Reifers had gone to Gale's Saturday night to meet some out-of-town friends who had returned to Petaluma for the holidays. Reifers had an infant daughter and was about to marry his fiancee, Adrian said.
"He doesn't even like going to bars," Adrian said. "He works hard and takes care of his family."
Adrian said he and Reifers met as students at Petaluma High School and both used to hang out at the Phoenix, a popular teen hangout.
"Kids need to think about what they are doing," he said. "A father got taken away from his family for no good reason."
Michael Sankey and Brett Lord, bartenders at Gale's, said underage kids do not come into the bar, but it's not unusual for them to hang around downtown on weekend nights and ask adults to buy liquor for them.
Lord, who was the bouncer on duty at closing time Sunday morning, said at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Cucci walked toward him and others in front of the bar and showed them a wound on his leg that looked "pretty bad."
Cucci was pale and looked like he was in shock and some friends took him to the hospital, Lord said.
Unlike the Toste killing, there is no indication that the incident was gang-related, according to Sgt. Matt Stapleton.
The incident comes just a few weeks after the Petaluma City Council voted to give police greater authority to crack down on teen drinking at parties.
The measure was in response to a recent survey that showed 35 percent of Petaluma high school juniors and 18 percent of freshman surveyed last fall engaged in binge drinking within a month of the survey.
The rates were significantly higher than those reported by students across the state.
