Buncombe County Sheriff's deputy shot, APD officer injured outside downtown Asheville jail

Karen Chávez, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read

ASHEVILLE - A Buncombe County Sheriff's Office deputy was shot outside the Magistrate's Office in the early morning of May 7, and an Asheville Police Department officer sustained minor injuries in the altercation, according to a news release by the sheriff's office.

The deputy, who has not been named by the sheriff's office, has been released from the hospital and is "resting at home," the news statement says.

The incident occurred at about 1:40 a.m.

The N.C. SBI is investigating a shooting of a Buncombe County Sheriff's Office deputy in the early morning of May 7 outside the Magistrate's Office in downtown Asheville.
The N.C. SBI is investigating a shooting of a Buncombe County Sheriff's Office deputy in the early morning of May 7 outside the Magistrate's Office in downtown Asheville.

"A Deputy with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office was securing warrants and assisting a woman at the Magistrate’s office with securing a protective order from an incident that had recently occurred," according to the release.

The magistrate’s office is located in the lobby of the Buncombe County Detention Facility, 20 Davidson Drive, just behind City Hall in downtown Asheville.

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The N.C. SBI is investigating a shooting of a Buncombe County Sheriff's Office deputy in the early morning of May 7 outside the Magistrate's Office in downtown Asheville.
The N.C. SBI is investigating a shooting of a Buncombe County Sheriff's Office deputy in the early morning of May 7 outside the Magistrate's Office in downtown Asheville.

"The suspect involved in this incident walked into the lobby of the building. As the Deputy and an Officer from the Asheville Police Department approached the suspect to arrest him, the suspect resisted arrest and an altercation ensued.

"The suspect produced a firearm and shot the Deputy in the shoulder. The Deputy returned gunfire and struck the suspect, who subsequently fled the scene and was later taken into custody outside Mission Hospital. The Officer from APD was also assaulted during the altercation," the release says.

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The Sheriff’s Office deputy was transported to the hospital where he was released a short time later. The suspect remains under observation at Mission Hospital.

According to the sheriff's office, the N.C. SBI continues to process the crime scene and the Magistrate’s Office remains closed as of the morning of May 7.

This story will be updated.

Karen Chávez is Executive Editor for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Tips? Call 828-712-6316, email, KChavez@CitizenTimes.com or follow on Twitter @KarenChavezACT.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe Sheriff's deputy shot outside of Asheville jail