ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A man will spend more than a decade in prison after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with a 2025 shooting, prosecutors said.
Elijah Paul Foster, 33, pleaded guilty July 22 in Buncombe County Superior Court and was sentenced to 165 to 210 months — about 13 years, 9 months to 17 years, 6 months — in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, according to the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office.
The charges stem from a March 29, 2025, shooting at Hillcrest Apartments in Asheville.
Asheville Police Department officers responded to reports of gunfire near the 100 block of Atkinson Street and found a victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the hip. The victim was taken to Mission Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Investigators determined the victim was waiting at a nearby bus stop when Foster allegedly fired multiple rounds from a vehicle before leaving the area, according to prosecutors.
Foster also faces a potential additional sentence in Tennessee related to an outstanding probation violation that could carry up to 10 years, the District Attorney’s Office said.
The Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office said the case is part of its continued efforts to prosecute violent gun crimes.