ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Buncombe County District Attorney Todd Williams has ruled that the Asheville Police Department officers involved in an April 2026 shootout that left one man dead and one officer injured were justified in their use of deadly force.
APD officers responded to the scene of the incident around 9:45 p.m. on April 21, 2026, at 1987 Hendersonville Road, Asheville, N.C., and were subsequently fired at by the suspect through the glass door of the business.
Read our previous reporting on the incident here.
According to a press release from the DA’s office, “the act of firing a weapon directly at law enforcement officers performing their duties constitutes, at minimum, assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer under G.S. 14-34.5, a Class E felony. The suspect’s gunfire shattered the glass door, causing fragments to strike one officer and inflicting non-life-threatening physical injuries. Under North Carolina law (G.S. 14-51.3), a person is justified in using deadly force if they reasonably believe such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person.”
Officers fired back and secured access to the interior of the business, where they administered medical aid to the wounded suspect, later identified as a man named James Jones. Jones succumbed to his injuries on April 22, 2026, at Mission Hospital.
After a review of the evidence, which included body cam footage, Williams determined that the officers were not at fault in accordance with North Carolina law.
“Based on a review of the documented evidence provided by the NC SBI, and considering the officers’ belief that deadly force was reasonably necessary to prevent imminent death or serious physical injury, I have determined that the officers’ use of deadly force against Mr. Jones was justified under North Carolina law,” Williams wrote in the release. “While it is tragic that Mr. Jones lost his life in this manner, it is fortunate that the immediate threat posed by him was neutralized without additional loss of life to bystanders and officers.”