2 people killed, 7 injured in 'targeted' shooting at North Carolina distillery, police searching for suspect

Three days after an Asheville shooting on Biltmore Avenue claimed the lives of two people and injured seven others, there are no public leads on who may have committed the crime. The shooting, which occurred Sunday at Dalton Distillery at 2:20 am from a moving vehicle, is described by police as "targeted" and not a random act of violence, the Citizen Times reports.

Interim Asheville Police Chief Jackie Stepp said that the department's condolences were with the families and that investigators were still working to identify whoever committed the mass shooting. Police say the shooting is connected to an unspecified prior incident. 

"This is a tragic situation. Our condolences, our deepest condolences, go to the families who have lost loved ones last night and into the morning, and we hope for a full recovery to all those who are injured,” Stepp said. “To everybody else, and to the families, we will work diligently and around the clock to identify those responsible and hold them fully accountable."

Police have not released a suspect description or announced any arrests in the case. In a statement Monday, the Asheville Police Department said it was aware of a flyer circulating on social media that falsely identified a person of interest in the shooting. Authorities stressed that they have not publicly identified any person of interest and urged the public to rely only on information released through the department's official channels. Investigators continue to ask anyone with information, surveillance footage, or cellphone video related to the shooting to contact the Asheville Police Department as the investigation remains ongoing.

On July 19 at around 2:20 am, police responded to reports of "multiple people being struck" by gunfire at Dalton Distillery, near the 250 block of Biltmore Avenue. A total of nine people were shot, two fatally. Two of the surviving victims were in critical condition.