Asheville Police Link 2-Dead, 7-Wounded Shooting to July 5 Retaliation
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 9
Asheville Police Link 2-Dead, 7-Wounded Shooting to July 5 Retaliation
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 9
Summary
Two people were killed and seven wounded when gunfire broke out around 2:20 a.m. on July 19 near Biltmore Avenue and Short Coxe Avenue in downtown Asheville.
Interim Police Chief Jackie Stepp said investigators now believe the attack was a direct retaliatory act tied to a July 5 apartment-complex shooting in which one person was shot and an arrest was made.
Several persons of interest have been identified, but police are still trying to locate and interview them while withholding details on intended targets and the exact link between the two shootings.
Stepp said the violence reflects ongoing retaliation between two connected groups, not what she called traditional gang activity, though she confirmed police recovered a Glock switch.
The case has intensified debate over Asheville's response to rising violence, with city officials citing prevention efforts and state gun-law limits in a city that saw violent crime rise 31% from 2016 to 2020.