One person dead after officers return fire in downtown Asheville shooting, sheriff says
A 29-year-old man is dead after a shooting in Asheville in Western North Carolina on Tuesday morning, officials say.
The shooter “is no longer a threat,” the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook just after 10:25 a.m., about 20 minutes after initially posting about an active shooter.
A man was in an SUV when he fired rounds “at a law enforcement officer” near the Buncombe County courthouse, according to the Asheville Police Department.
A sheriff’s office employee who responded to the scene was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Sheriff Quentin Miller said during a news conference streamed by WLOS.
A person inside the car was killed by officers returning fire, Miller said.
Asheville police identified the suspected shooter as Shane Tilman Kent.
Police and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation are investigating the officer-involved shooting, Miller said.
The sheriff’s office said the courthouse was “secure.”
The building was closed for the rest of the day Tuesday and expected to reopen Wednesday, Miller said.
County officials had asked people to stay away from the downtown area.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 10:24 AM with the headline "One person dead after officers return fire in downtown Asheville shooting, sheriff says."
