ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — A man is in life-threatening condition after a stabbing Tuesday afternoon at a west Asheville apartment complex, according to Asheville police.
Officers with the Asheville Police Department (APD) responded to Ascent Apartment Homes on Ascension Drive around 3:12 p.m. on Nov. 18 after receiving a report of a stabbing. When they arrived, police say they found a man in the parking lot with multiple knife wounds to his upper body and head. Officers provided medical assistance until EMS arrived, and the victim was taken to Mission Hospital.
According to detectives, the victim told officers the suspect was still inside one of the apartments. Police entered the unit and took the individual into custody without incident.
APD Captain Joe Silberman told News 13 the stabbing stemmed from a dispute between several people, a dispute that investigators now believe was rooted in ownership of a cat.
“At the core of this, it’s a dispute between a couple of parties,” Silberman said. “And at the core of that dispute, it’s ownership of a cat.”
Silberman said the victim remains in “very serious condition,” and no charges have been filed as detectives continue interviewing everyone involved. The department is consulting with the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, and a formal briefing on charges is expected later this week or early next week.
Silberman also reflected on how often severe violence stems from disputes that seem minor in hindsight.
“All of the serious injuries and death I’ve encountered in this career, there’s not a single one that in retrospect doesn’t seem trivial or worth it,” he said. “Between the cost of human life and health versus whatever that issue was, the gap is always huge.”
Footage of emergency officials assisting on the scene after a man was stabbed at Ascent Apartment Homes in west Asheville, N.C. (Courtesy of Dustin Ingle)
Dustin Ingle, who lives at Ascent Apartment Homes, said he heard sirens and saw more than 20 police vehicles and fire trucks rushing into the parking lot.
“You could tell it was pretty serious because it took them a while to get him up onto the stretcher and everything,” Ingle said of the victim.
Ingle told News 13 he’s lived at the complex for four years and has noticed an increase in drug activity and crime. He said the stabbing, combined with past issues, including a shooting in June, has made many residents uneasy.
“To find out what it was over over a cat,” Ingle said. “It’s kind of hard for me to believe somebody would get stabbed over a cat.”
He also expressed frustration with management, saying residents often struggle to get information when incidents happen.
“I think it would be right for the people that live around here to know exactly what went on,” he said. “If you weren’t out here yesterday to see it, you’d have no idea.”
Police say the investigation remains active. Detectives and forensic technicians are still processing evidence and interviewing witnesses.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Asheville Police at 828-252-1110. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the TIP2APD smartphone app or by texting TIP2APD to 847411.