ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — One person has been arrested and another is being sought in connection with an April shooting on Atkinson Street that left one person with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, Asheville police said.
Officers responded to a residence on Atkinson Street around 3:29 p.m. April 26 after receiving a report of a person who had been shot. Before officers arrived, they learned the victim had been taken to Mission Hospital by a third party.
Officers and forensic technicians found evidence of the shooting at the scene, including multiple shell casings and several vehicles damaged by gunfire, according to the Asheville Police Department.
On Sept. 8, officers with APD, the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office IGRANT Unit, the State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Lamon Tyrik Smith Jr., 20.
Smith was charged with:
- Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury
- Possessing a weapon of mass destruction
- Attempted first-degree murder
- Felony conspiracy
- Injury to personal property
Smith was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility without bond, according to APD.
Detectives later identified another person they say was involved in the shooting as Danvonte Pearson, 16.
Pearson had not been arrested as of Sept. 14, and APD is asking the public for help locating him. Police describe Pearson as 5-foot-8 with short black hair and a tattoo above his right eye. APD considers him armed and dangerous.
Pearson is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, possessing a weapon of mass destruction, attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and injury to personal property.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information that directly leads to Pearson’s arrest.
Anyone who knows Pearson’s whereabouts is asked to contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 828-767-1953.
Anyone with information about the shooting can contact APD at 828-252-1110. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the TIP2APD smartphone app or by texting TIP2APD to 847411.