ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — An Asheville police officer shot and killed a man early Thursday after officers responding to a reported break-in encountered him armed with a knife, according to the Asheville Police Department.
Officers responded around 12:34 a.m. to a residence on Nancy Street after receiving multiple reports of a breaking and entering in progress.
Additional callers reported hearing yelling and said a man had entered the home, police said.
When officers arrived, they saw signs of forced entry at the door and heard sounds of a disturbance inside. Once inside the residence, officers encountered a man armed with a knife, according to police.
Officers gave the man multiple commands to drop the weapon, but he refused, police said. Officers then opened fire.
Officers provided medical aid at the scene until paramedics transported the man to Mission Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
No officers were injured. It is now known whether anyone in the home was hurt.
The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation was contacted and will investigate the shooting, in accordance with Asheville Police Department protocol.
Thursday’s shooting is the fourth officer-involved shooting involving Asheville police in 2026, following three other incidents earlier this year. Two of those shootings were fatal, while one person survived. The incidents are investigated by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
