ASHEVILLE, NC. (THECOUNT) — Marcellus Tremaine Robinson, 39, of Asheville, North Carolina, died Thursday after an officer-involved shooting during an early-morning response to a reported breaking and entering in west Asheville, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Asheville police officers responded to a residence on Nancy Street at approximately 12:34 a.m. Thursday after multiple 911 callers reported a possible breaking and entering. Callers reported hearing yelling and said a man had entered the home, according to police.
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When officers arrived, they reportedly observed signs of forced entry and heard noises indicating a disturbance inside the residence. Officers entered the home and encountered a man armed with a knife, according to the police account.
Police said officers issued multiple commands for the man to drop the weapon. When he refused, officers opened fire, striking him.
Officers provided medical assistance at the scene before paramedics transported the wounded man to Mission Hospital. Robinson later died from injuries sustained in the shooting, authorities said.
A police spokesperson confirmed that an officer involved in the shooting was placed on paid administrative leave, which the department described as standard procedure.
The shooting involving Robinson follows a previous encounter with Asheville police in 2025. According to an Asheville Police Department release cited in previous reporting, officers responded to the 100 block of Atkinson Street in west Asheville shortly after 11:21 p.m. March 4, 2025, following a report of a domestic disturbance.
Police said officers found a female victim in a disoriented state and determined through their investigation that Robinson had assaulted her. Robinson reportedly left the area before officers arrived, prompting a search for him.
At the time, police said Robinson was wanted on charges including felony assault by strangulation, assault on a female, a domestic violence offense, communicating threats and assault with a deadly weapon.
The Asheville Police Department later said Robinson turned himself in on April 5, 2025. He was subsequently charged with felony assault and domestic violence, according to the department.
The circumstances surrounding the Aug. 27 officer-involved shooting remain under investigation by the N.C. SBI. Investigators are expected to review the actions of the involved officers, the circumstances that led to the encounter and the events that preceded the shooting before the case is submitted to the District Attorney’s Office.
Asheville is located in Buncombe County in western North Carolina, approximately 125 miles west of Charlotte and near the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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