ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A suspect, who Asheville police say pointed a rifle at officers, died Tuesday afternoon in an officer-involved shooting.
A news release from the Asheville Police Department (APD) says several people called 911 around 5 p.m. on Aug. 27, claiming a man pointed a rifle at them. The suspect then assaulted a city contract worker with a shovel, police say.
“Shortly thereafter, officers arrived and ordered the man to drop his weapon, but he refused,” the release says. “The man pointed his rifle at officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
The release did not go into any other specific details around the shooting itself.
The suspect then retreated to a home on Chatham Road, barricading himself inside where he was later found deceased.
Per the Asheville Police Department’s protocol, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) was contacted and will conduct the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, APD says.
The public is asked to avoid the area of Merrimon Avenue and Chatham Road while the investigation continues.
The identity of the suspect was has not yet been released. Check back at 828newsNOW.com for updates.