Police investigating shooting death of Asheville man in Hendersonville as murder; suspect?

After an Asheville man was shot and killed in the early morning hours of Nov. 24 in the Henderson Crossing Plaza parking lot, police are investigating the incident as murder or nonnegligent manslaughter, according to police records.

At approximately 2:36 a.m., Henderson Police officers were dispatched to the Orchard Bar and Grill at Henderson Crossing and found 30-year-old Elijah Edward Timmons III deceased on the ground in the parking lot, having suffered a gunshot wound to the head, according to a news release from the City of Hendersonville.

A firearm believed to belong to Timmons was located and secured by officers.

Timmons’ shooting is being investigated as a murder or nonnegligent manslaughter, according to an incident report obtained by the Citizen Times Nov. 28. The report states that Timmons had a Candler address. At the time the incident report was written, police did not know the shooter nor their motivations.

Initial reporting: Asheville man found shot to death in Hendersonville parking lot, suspect at large: police

The report says he was attacked “by an unknown offender shooting and killing” him. It also says that the suspect was "hate/bias motivated."

However, preliminary investigation revealed Timmons was engaged in an altercation with a suspect before being fatally shot, the news release said. The suspect remains at large; however, this is believed to be an isolated incident with no ongoing threat to public safety, according to the release.

Spokesperson Allison Justus told the Citizen Times Nov. 27 that there are no updates to provide at this time. They are asking anyone with any information on the shooting to contact Lt. Alan Bonanno with the Hendersonville Police Department at 828-697-3025.

Tips may also be submitted through the Hendersonville Police Department App which can be downloaded from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store by searching “Hendersonville PD.”

More: Update: Shooting death reported at McDonald's in Hendersonville owned by Chuck Edwards

This is the second shooting fatality this year in the city of Hendersonville. Police reported on Oct. 10 that Sam Antwan Ivey, 35, an employee at the McDonald's on Four Seasons Boulevard, allegedly shot and killed 30-year-old Jacklyn Marie Reed of Johnson City, Tennessee. The McDonald's is owned by U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards.

Ivey was charged with second-degree murder, and according to court records, his next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 14, the Citizen Times previously reported.

More: McDonald's employee charged in fatal shooting inside restaurant makes court appearance

Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Hendersonville police investigating death of man as murder, suspect