Teen Suspect Surrenders After Downtown Asheville Shooting Injures Nine

Calobe Leo Workman, 19, turned himself in to authorities on March 16, eight days after a gunfight erupted in the 100 block of North Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville and left nine people injured in the street.

The shooting began around 3:13 a.m. on March 8 when the bars let out and a fight broke out among a group of people. According to Asheville Police Department Captain Joe Silberman, the confrontation escalated into multiple individuals discharging firearms. Officers who responded found a large crowd fleeing the scene and began rendering aid until EMS arrived. Seven of the nine victims were struck by stray gunfire or fragments, one was injured while trying to reach safety, and one was physically assaulted and suffered a concussion. All nine were treated and released.

APD identified Workman as the suspect on March 14. He surrendered two days later and was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility on a felony charge of discharge firearm from an enclosure to incite fears. A magistrate initially entered a no-bond hold; at his first court appearance Tuesday morning, a judge set bond at $30,000. His next court date is April 7.

Workman is not expected to be the only person charged. "We believe there are multiple shooters and we expect additional charges for gunshot wounds and the physical assault in the coming days," Silberman said.

The March 8 incident was one of three separate shootings in Asheville that weekend, a stretch of violence that left two people dead and nine injured across the city.

The case remains open and active. Anyone with information can contact the Asheville Police Department at (828) 252-1110, submit an anonymous tip through the TIP2APD app, or text "TIP2APD" to 847411.