Mountain getaway rocked by ‘latest chapter’ of deadly violence as officials avoid gang label in tourist town

Police in Asheville, North Carolina, say a downtown shooting that killed two people and wounded seven was a direct retaliatory act, though they have declined to call the violence gang-related in the Blue Ridge tourist town.

The early morning gunfire erupted July 19 near Biltmore Avenue and Short Coxe Avenue, an area near downtown businesses and nightlife. The Asheville Police Department (APD) said officers responded to the scene at about 2:20 a.m. and found multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds.