Asheville Shooting Killed 2, Injured 7 in Retaliation for July 5 Attack

2 articles · Updated · biltmorebeacon.com · Aug 9

Police say the July 19 downtown Asheville shooting that killed Lamarius Jones, 22, and Marques Davis Jr., 24, and wounded seven others was a direct retaliation for a non-fatal July 5 shooting at Maple Crest Apartments.
Investigators say both attacks involved an indiscriminate burst of gunfire from a handgun illegally modified for automatic fire, and police have seized 97 firearms in 2026, several with similar illicit modifications.
No arrests have been made in the July 19 killings, though police have recovered the car believed used in the attack; City Councilmember Bo Hess said the lack of arrests has left residents on edge.
In the earlier July 5 case, Marqua Lamar Davis, 19, was arrested on assault charges and is being held without bond, though relatives dispute both his role and the evidence against him.
Asheville has recorded four gun-related homicides and 56 firearm-related assaults so far in 2026, already exceeding all of 2025's assault total and reinforcing police warnings about retaliatory youth violence.