Asheville Shootings Kill 2, Injure 9 Over Violent Weekend in March

Adair, a student at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College who worked at a downtown pizza shop, was found shot dead in the parking lot of a vape shop near the Cookout on Patton Avenue just after 1 a.m. on March 9. His death was one of two fatalities across three separate shootings that struck Asheville between early Saturday and early Monday over the March 7 weekend, leaving nine others injured.

At least three people called 911 that night. Officer response notes describe a victim with a gunshot wound to the chest on the left side; officers who arrived around 1:04 a.m. near Patton Avenue and New Leicester Highway found Adair dead on scene.

The deadliest single incident by injury count unfolded hours earlier, in the early morning of March 8 on North Lexington Avenue downtown. Police say Calobe Leo Workman, 19, of Asheville, allegedly fired a gun from the front passenger seat of a vehicle into a crowd gathered on the street, striking seven people with stray gunfire or bullet fragments. Officer response notes, described as heavily redacted in parts, record "shots fired nearby" at 3:13 a.m. and show at least two victims with injuries to their lower extremities; one was found in a parking lot, another in a bathroom. Workman turned himself in to police on March 16, a week after the shooting.

A third shooting also occurred over the same weekend, bringing the combined toll to two dead and nine injured. Authorities said all three incidents are unconnected.

Capt. Joe Silberman of the Asheville Police Department said APD "takes violent crime very seriously" and confirmed the department is deploying rotating teams of investigators alongside federal partners to work the three cases.

City Councilmember Bo Hess, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, called the moment a turning point for how Asheville approaches community safety. "This is a very serious moment," Hess said. "Public safety is the foundation of a thriving city. It impacts every part of life, recreation, small businesses, tourism, our community connection, and our overall sense of well-being."

Hess said addressing violence requires a strategy that extends well beyond law enforcement, pointing to plans to expand youth programming through parks and recreation, deepen partnerships with nonprofit organizations, and increase access to mental health services. City leaders framed their response as both urgent and collaborative, with community partnerships and technology cited as pillars of prevention going forward.