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Suspect indicted in 4th Ave. stabbing

The man accused of stabbing a gay UA student outside of a Fourth Avenue coffee shop has been formally charged with attempted first-degree murder.

A Pima County grand jury indicted Gary Grayson, 37, on one charge of attempted first-degree murder Thursday for the Feb. 6 stabbing of the University of Arizona philosophy junior. In addition, Grayson faces counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated assault causing serious physical injury.

Although Grayson was initially held on aggravated assault, the prosecutor's office communications director, Dan Benavidez, said formal charges often vary from what a suspect is arrested for.

"What he's held on is different than what he's being charged with," Benavidez said.

Law enforcement officials had 10 days to investigate the case while Grayson was being detained on the lesser charges. The grand jury then met and returned the indictment of attempted murder, which members of the gay community had been pushing for.

At last Sunday's stabbing protest rally, attendees circulated petitions requesting the Pima County Attorney's Office upgrade the attacker's charges. However, Benavidez said public urging was not the driving force behind the grand jury's decision. Benavidez said careful consideration led to the attempted murder charges.

"We just don't frivolously charge people," Benavidez said.

Dace Park, a Tucson Lesbian Avengers member who was active in planning the protest rally, said she is encouraged by the grand jury's recognition of the crime's seriousness.

"I think raising the charges sends a clear message that Tucson, as a community, will not tolerate violence as a form of communication or expression," Park said.

Park said Grayson should not be a passing example of how to combat hate and hate-motivated acts of violence in Tucson.

"It is important to not lose sight of the interconnection of hate and violence," she said. "Incarcerating one individual does little to change the environment of hate that encouraged his act of violence."

The assault took place at the Rainbow Planet Coffee House, 606 N. Fourth Ave., on the night of Feb. 6 while the student sat on the patio with friends. The student, who has remained anonymous, suffered a single stab wound to the back in an apparent hate crime.

Grayson was reported by witnesses to have shouted, "God hates faggots," and "Let this be a warning to the gay community," during the attack.

Continued action by community members against hate is the only way to ensure the phenomenon is stifled, Park said.

"For too long, decent people have failed to act when they've had the opportunity to make change," she said. "The County Attorney's Office has done the right thing - it's time for others who've said they oppose hate to stop standing by and start doing (so) as well."