Asheville police kill gunman after shooting outside Shakey’s gay bar

A man who had been expelled from Shakey’s, a gay bar in downtown Asheville, North Carolina, returned to the bar’s parking lot brandishing a firearm and began firing at the building. Witnesses inside the bar reported hearing gunshots and seeing the shooter target the structure, prompting staff to lock the doors and call 911.

Asheville police officers arrived at about 1:57 a.m., heard the gunfire and engaged the suspect, striking him. Fire personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene. No officers or patrons were injured. The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will conduct a review of the officer‑involved shooting, and police indicated there is no evidence of a hate‑based motive at this time.