Man Enraged After Getting Kicked Out Of Gay Bar Starts Shooting At The Place. Police Killed Him.

Police officers in Asheville, North Carolina, shot and killed a man who was reportedly firing a gun outside a local gay dive bar early Wednesday morning.

In a July 15 press release, the Asheville Police Department said officers responded to a report of a person discharging a firearm in the parking lot of a business in Asheville’s downtown area around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning.

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“Upon arrival, officers heard gunfire and located the suspect in the parking lot of the business, actively discharging a firearm. Officers returned fire, striking the suspect,” according to the release. “Asheville Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and pronounced the suspect deceased. No officers were injured during the incident.”

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Later in the day, Shakey’s, the gay bar where the incident occurred, posted its own statement via Instagram. According to local ABC affiliate WLOS, the bar said staff had asked an individual “whose behavior caused concern” to leave. The man was later seen in the parking lot with a gun.

“He went out, and moments later, he started shooting,” Taylor Pace, who was inside Shakey’s at the time, told WLOS. Pace said he watched from the bar’s windows as the man began firing. “He literally pulls the gun up and starts shooting at the building. Like, you hear him hitting the bricks, and at that point, I’m like, ‘Everybody get down.’ Everyone’s screaming. Panic, chaos, and fight or flight set in.”

In its statement, Shakey’s said staff quickly locked the bar’s doors and called 911.

“There are no words to fully express how grateful we are for our staff and patrons. In a moment of fear and uncertainty, everyone came together, stayed calm, looked out for one another, and followed directions without hesitation. Watching people care for each other in the middle of such a terrifying situation is something we’ll never forget,” the bar’s statement read, according to WLOS. “Because of everyone’s quick actions, cooperation, and concern for one another, every customer and every employee inside Shakey’s made it home safely. We are incredibly thankful.”

On Thursday, a spokesperson for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) identified the alleged gunman as Arturo Castillo Palomar. Interim Police Chief Jackie Stepp told WLOS that so far, investigators have not found any evidence that Palomar was motivated by “any type of bias or hate.” The state SBI will continue to investigate.

Stepp also confirmed that one Asheville police officer has been placed on administrative leave following the shooting, per department policy.

According to WLOS, the incident marks the third officer-involved shooting in Asheville in the past four months. Stepp indicated that the proliferation of guns has led to an increase in gun violence in the area in recent years. “I think there’s just more access to firearms,” she told the station. “I think people that have access to those firearms really just are placing no regard to community safety or the consequences of their actions.”

Pace, meanwhile, noted the senselessness of the shooting. “Nobody needs to die because of being mad because they get kicked out of a bar,” he said.

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