UPDATE: 1 charged with 1st degree murder in Arden shootings, one still at large
This story has been updated to include charges by the Sheriff's Office.
ASHEVILLE - Two men are being processed in relation to the shooting deaths of two people found dead inside a car in a Arden gas station parking lot Dec. 19, Buncombe County Sheriff's Office said.
In a 4:17 p.m. news release, Sheriff's Office spokesperson Aaron Sarver said Cody Wayne Dockins of Buncombe County and Godiet Corral of Henderson County are "in the process" of being charged with first-degree murder after two people were found apparently shot to death at a Shell gas station at 400 Mills Gap Road before 7 a.m.
"Mr. Corral was taken into custody this afternoon by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office," Sarver said in the release. "Mr. Corral has been in the federal correctional system previously and is wanted by the U.S. Marshals Service on separate criminal matters."
Dockins, Sarver said, has four additional outstanding warrants and a significant criminal history in Buncombe County and remains at large.
Buncombe executed multiple search warrants as part of a "rapidly evolving investigation," Sarver said.
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Investigators found physical evidence using K-9 units and reviewed video evidence from security cameras at the gas station.
This video was "instrumental in piecing together events at the onset of the investigation this morning," Sarver said.
Before 7am this this morning two individuals were found deceased in a vehicle due to apparent gunshot wounds. The shooting occurred into parking lot of a gas station located at 400 Mills Gap Road. We believe this is an isolated incident. (1/2)
— Buncombe County Sheriff's Office (@BuncombeSheriff) December 19, 2022
The sheriff's office first publicized the incident on Twitter about 9 a.m.
In a pair of tweets about the Sheriff's Office account said two people "were found deceased in a vehicle due to apparent gunshot wounds."
The individuals were discovered before 7 a.m., the tweet stated, noting the shooting happened in the parking lot of a gas station at 400 Mills Gap Road, which is the address for a Shell-brand gas station in Arden. The gas station has a Fletcher address.
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A news release issued at 10:17 a.m. said that "there has been an active criminal investigation into the shooting by the Sheriff’s Office with numerous Detectives and other personnel assigned to the investigation."
The release also stated that "the Sheriff’s Office believes this is an isolated incident."
Andrew Jones is an investigative reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at @arjonesreports on Facebook and Twitter, 828-226-6203 or arjones@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe Sheriff: 2 dead at Arden gas station of gun wounds
