Police investigate east Asheville shooting, 2 taken to Mission Hospital

A heavy police presence surrounded Spruce Hill Apartments in east Asheville after a shooting left at least two people injured and sent both victims to Mission Hospital, while Asheville police continued searching for a suspect. The victims’ condition had not been released, adding to the uncertainty for residents watching another violent scene unfold at the complex.

The shooting was reported Thursday, May 14, 2026, and police said the gunman was still at large. For people living near Spruce Hill Apartments, the immediate concern was not only the injuries but whether the complex can keep residents safe after another gunfire call brought officers, tape and emergency vehicles back to the property.

The address already carries a grim history. On Jan. 30, 2022, Asheville police responded to the 100 block of Spruce Hill Lane around 3:38 a.m. and found two men who had been shot multiple times. Carl Lee Ellington Jr., 24, died, and Staekwon Tyjai Taylor, 23, was wounded and taken to Mission Hospital.

That case moved through the courts more than three years later. In February 2025, Jalia Love Jones pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and assault charges tied to the 2022 shooting and was sentenced to more than eight years in prison. The earlier case and Thursday’s shooting give the east Asheville complex a broader significance in local violence and neighborhood safety concerns.

Asheville police public records show that most incident and crash reports from Jan. 1, 2003, to the present are available through the city’s records tools. The Asheville Police Department’s non-emergency line is (828) 252-1110. With a suspect still being sought and the latest victims’ condition unknown, the investigation remained active as residents in and around Spruce Hill Apartments waited for answers.