Suspect charged with first-degree murder following deadly shooting in Asheville

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A suspect has been charged following a deadly shooting in Asheville on Thursday.

Asheville police tell News 13 that 24-year-old Kenneth Maurice West Jr, of Rock Hill South Carolina, has been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery after a man was shot and killed along Tunnel Road, marking Asheville's third homicide for 2024.

A spokesperson for the Asheville Police Department (APD) tells News 13 the call came in around 3:13 p.m. for a gunshot wound in the 160 Block of Tunnel Road.

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Officers at the scene located a man with a gunshot wound to his chest.

The victim was transported to Mission Hospital in critical condition, where he later died from his injuries. The victim's name is being withheld until next of kin can be contacted, police say.

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West was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Facility under no bond.

Detectives are asking if anyone has any information about this case to send an anonymous tip by texting TIP2APD to 847411 or using the TIP2APD smartphone application (search "Asheville PD" in your app store). You can also contact APD at (828) 252-1110.

This is the third homicide this year in the City of Asheville, police said in a press release.