Shakey’s bar in Asheville, North Carolina (Instagram/shakeys_avl)

An armed man was killed by police after allegedly opening fire outside a popular LGBTQ+ bar in North Carolina in the early hours of Wednesday (15 July) morning, according to local authorities.

The incident unfolded outside Shakey’s, a gay dive bar in downtown Asheville, shortly before 2AM, after staff called 911 to report that a man who had earlier been removed from the venue for concerning behaviour had returned to the parking lot carrying a firearm, as reported by local news station WLOS.

According to an Instagram Stories post from the bar, emergency dispatchers instructed staff to lock the doors and keep everyone inside while officers responded.

When Asheville police arrived, they said they encountered the man firing a gun in the parking lot. Officers returned fire, striking the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel. Police confirmed that no officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.

Witnesses described a frightening scene as gunfire erupted outside the venue. Patron Taylor Pace told WLOS that he watched the man begin shooting toward the building from inside the bar. “He literally pulls the gun up and starts shooting at the building,” Pace said. “You hear them hitting the bricks… Everyone’s screaming. Panic, chaos, and fight or flight set in.”

In a statement shared on their Instagram Stories following the shooting, Shakey’s praised its staff, customers and first responders for helping prevent further harm. “Watching people care for each other in the middle of such a terrifying situation is something we’ll never forget,” the bar wrote, adding that thanks to everyone’s quick actions, “every customer and every employee inside Shakey’s made it home safely.”

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation has opened an investigation into the officer-involved shooting, and authorities have not yet released the identity of the deceased man. Interim Asheville Police Chief Jackie Stepp said investigators have found “no evidence at this time” suggesting the shooting was motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias or any other hate-related motive.

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