Asheville police say they have found multiple people involved in a series of five shootings that they believe to be connected and gang affiliated.
The shootings, three of which occurred in Asheville and two that occurred elsewhere in Western North Carolina, are connected by the people involved, Capt. Joe Silberman told the Citizen Times Sept. 29.
"It's not as simple as there are people in one gang and people in another gang. Asheville has hybrid gangs, which create another level of complexity," Silberman said.
Hybrid gangs take people of any race or social class, and the people in them sometimes are involved with other gangs, Lt. Brandon Morgan said. They tend to include mostly people under the age of 18.
One of the five shootings occurred April
26 on Atkinson Street at Hillcrest Apartments. Police went to Atkinson Street at around 3:30 p.m. to investigate a report of a man who was shot in the leg, according to police.
There was a different shooting July 5 on Lee Garden Lane, at Maple Crest Apartments.
Three people have been charged in the shootings at Lee Garden Lane and Atkinson Street, and one of those people is a teenager who police believe was involved in both the Atkinson Street shooting and the Lee Garden Lane shooting, Silberman said.
Another person allegedly involved in the Lee Garden Lane shooting was connected to theBiltmore Avenue shooting July 19, Silberman said.
The Biltmore Avenue shooting injured seven people and killed two:Lamarius Jones, 22, and Marques Davis Jr., 24, both of Asheville. No one has been charged in that shooting.
Silberman declined to discuss the two shootings that occurred outside of Asheville. He said there is no active threat to the public.
"But we do believe there are suspects that are not in custody that we haven't been able to develop probable cause to charge yet," he said.
Kara Fohner is the Public Safety Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Email her at kfohner@usatodayco.com or call her at 980-241-8671.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville police say shootings are gang-related
