Police records reveal more details

ASHEVILLE — After Denzel McKnight was shot in the abdomen at Hillcrest Apartments on July 26, several bystanders tried to help him as a large crowd gathered and a suspect was identified, police records show.

Asheville Police Department detectives continue to investigate McKnight's shooting death after responding to a report of a gunshot wound around 2:24 a.m. on July 26. Recently released police radio logs and a 911 call provide more details about the aftermath of the shooting.

Shortly before 2:30 a.m., a 911 caller reported hearing “at least four or five” gunshots between buildings Nos. 7 and 9 in Hillcrest, a community managed by the city of Asheville’s housing authority, according to a transcript obtained by the Citizen Times. The caller said the gunfire had erupted “not even a minute before I called.”

“There's a girl yelling at people. But it's in the same neighborhood. I don't know what her problem is,” the caller said.

The police radio log said the suspect, later identified as McKnight, 31, of Asheville, was outside in front of Building 8 receiving treatment. Around 2:28 a.m., a bystander was applying pressure to McKnight's stomach wound as a “large crowd” was nearby, the log said.

An officer on scene requested additional police units to respond due to the large crowd at 2:32 a.m. while CPR was underway.

Four minutes later, a description of the suspect was given over the radio: a black man in his 30s wearing black jeans and a white shirt.

“That's an accurate description” of the suspect, police spokesman Rick Rice confirmed on August 23. “No suspects have been taken into custody or questioned.”

Initial report: Man killed in early morning shooting at Hillcrest Apartments on July 26: Auckland police investigating

Seven shell casings were found at the scene, records show and previously confirmed by Rice. Two apartments were damaged by bullets and a stray bullet struck a Chrysler.

Emergency services rushed McKnight, whose address in Hillcrest is not listed, to Mission Hospital, where he arrived at 2:46 a.m., the newspaper reported. His time of death was announced six minutes later at 2:52 a.m.

At least two witnesses were identified at the scene, both of whom “refused to speak to officers,” the newspaper said.

After McKnight's death, evidence was towed by Blair Towing and Recovery to the scene and the Asheville Fire Department arrived for a hazardous materials cleanup of blood on the street.

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Two months later, no one has been arrested or charged as police continue to investigate and execute search warrants, Rice said Aug. 23.

Born in Miami, McKnight attended high schools in Asheville and Erwin, graduating in 2012, according to his obituary. He then spent a year at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas and a year at Mars Hill University. It was there that he “dedicated his life to Christ” in 2015.

McKnight is described as a “local contractor” who has been in the cleaning business for five years in the Asheville community. The Citizen Times attempted to reach his family.

Before starting his own cleaning business, McKnight worked as a janitor at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville, according to Linda Burke, a longtime congregation member and church volunteer who knew McKnight.

“He was a bright, outgoing, happy person,” Burke said, adding that he “radiated joy.”

McKnight “leaves to cherish his loving memory” his mother, father, five brothers and four sisters, according to his obituary.

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Ryley Ober is a public safety reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober

This article was originally published on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville police records and 911 call details on fatal Hillcrest shooting