Father: Son Killed After Spilling Beer at Raleigh Nightclub

Raleigh, N.C. — A Raleigh man was stabbed to death for apparently spilling beer on another man at a Raleigh nightclub, the victim's father said Friday.

"Evidently, Daniel bumped into this guy and beer spilled on this guy, and this guy was very angry about that," said Andre Smith, whose son, Daniel Dietmar Smith, 21, died at WakeMed early Friday morning.

Police said Daniel Smith was stabbed at about 2:15 a.m. at West Side Stories, 200 S. West St., following an argument with Wallace Reynold Bass Jr.

Bass, who was at the nightclub celebrating his 24th birthday, was detained at the scene and later charged with murder. He was being held Friday night at the Wake County Jail without bond.

Andre Smith said he and his family have compassion for the alleged killer.

"We don't have to wish for suffering. The moment he killed my son, he already started to suffer," Smith said. "For myself personally, I can't imagine what it's like to kill someone. You have to live with that for the rest of your life."

Smith, a practicing Buddhist who teaches meditation and anger management to prison inmates, said his son's death makes him even more determined to save young people.

"We've got to start caring. We've got to stop seeing these kids as statistics and we've got to start caring about them," he said. "They just need to be loved. They just need to be understood."

Bass has several prior convictions, including weapon and drug charges.