Michael Stonehocker spends a lot of time downtown. The 28-year-old works at a restaurant on the South Slope and, when he’s off the clock, he sometimes likes to hit the bar scene as a way to “cut loose” and meet new people.
On July 15, Stonehocker was having what he thought was a regular night at Shakey’s, a downtown dive bar. Then, around 2 a.m., he heard gunshots.
“I remember I was outside on the balcony,” he said. “I heard a pop and it was just like one pop. I'm like, that could be anything, you know. Then it was like a couple minutes later it was like four pops. And I’m like, ‘That’s unmistakable.’”
A door woman at Shakey’s then ushered him and others back inside the bar, where he remembers feeling a rush of fear and confusion.
“As far as I know, I don't know if it's like a mass shooter or it's just, you know, some drunk dude,” he recalled. “We're just like in lockdown not sure what's happening.”
According to the Asheville Police Department, the “pops” came from a 26-year-old Saluda resident, Arturo Castillo Palomar, who had been asked to leave the bar. He then retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and fired multiple shots in the parking lot. An Asheville police officer then shot and killed the man.
It was an “alarming” night, Stonehocker said. And he’s felt a little wary of Asheville nightlife since.
“You want to go there to have fun and not worry about real life for a little bit,” he said. “And these things just kind of make you not want to go. They make you reconsider where you want to spend your time.”
“You want to go there to have fun and not worry about real life for a little bit,” he said. “And these things just kind of make you not want to go. They make you reconsider where you want to spend your time.”
Only four days after the incident at Shakey’s, another shooting occurred around 2 a.m. near Dalton Distillery. The July 19 shooting killed two people and injured seven. Police said preliminary evidence indicated it may be connected to prior gun violence, but the investigation is ongoing.
Some people who take part in the city’s nightlife are worried after the three recent deaths in downtown Asheville. The July shootings follow several other incidents, including gunfire in May on Asheland Avenue that injured one person and a March shooting on North Lexington Avenue that injured nine people but resulted in no deaths.
A year-to-date analysis from the police department shows that the number of firearm-related aggravated assaults has fluctuated over the last few years. Data from Jan. 1 to July 15, indicates that incidents peaked at 76 in 2024, dropping to 46 in 2025, and increasing again to 53, so far this year.
Firearm-related homicides have also increased from last year’s pace, based on year-to-date APD data that tracks incidents from Jan. 1 to July 23. In 2024, there were three firearm-related homicides by July 23. In 2025, there were two. This year, there have already been four.
Asheville police declined to give BPR an interview, but wrote over email that three of the four most recent downtown shootings began as disputes between individuals that escalated to gunfire. The fourth incident was the one at Shakey’s.
Law enforcement has not announced major changes to its downtown patrol strategy in response to the July shootings. Rice, the APD spokesperson, wrote “at present, the Asheville Police Department is focused on bringing the perpetrators of Sunday's fatal shooting to justice, working tirelessly around the clock, pursuing every lead, and utilizing all resources at our disposal.”
He added that APD continues to meet with state and federal agencies on a monthly basis as part of a Gun Violence Task Force established in 2021.
Meanwhile, for downtown workers, the recent spate of violence comes amid an already difficult period, as businesses continue to recover from Hurricane Helene.
In April, Fox News published a story – later republished by the New York Post – with a headline describing Asheville as a “no-go zone.” The story quoted former City Council member Carl Mumpower describing downtown as a “nasty, crazy and scary” city.
Tyler Kotch, owner of Pie.Zaa, worries that coverage of the recent shootings could reinforce that perception and discourage tourists from visiting.
“Making sure that the tourists keep on coming is very important. And having the perspective of this being a safe place is also something that’s important,” he told BPR.
Mike Martinez, a DJ and musician who manages two downtown businesses, spends nearly every day, and most nights, downtown. He shares Kotch’s concern that fear of gun violence could keep people home.
“As far as I can tell, being on this block every day, it seems like every business is suffering from it,” Martinez said. “I think it gives people pause about wanting to go out.”
Still, Martinez does not want the recent violence to define Asheville after dark. For him, downtown remains a place where people build friendships, fall in love and experience moments that can change their lives.
“Some of the most beautiful things happen, too,” he said. “How many people have met their significant other on the dance floor on a Friday night? Or their best friend? There are so many different possibilities of what could happen on a night out.”
