On December 24, 2023, at approximately 9:20 p.m., 19-year-old Najeah Priest Porter was shot multiple times while pumping gas at Green's Mini Mart on Depot Street in Asheville, North Carolina. Responding officers found Porter with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper back and recovered 16 shell casings at the scene. Porter was transported to Mission Hospital in critical condition, where he underwent surgery. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries on December 27, 2023.
In the weeks following the incident, Asheville Police Department detectives conducted an extensive investigation, leading to the arrest of three individuals connected to the shooting. A juvenile was charged with first-degree murder in Porter's death and was taken into custody on January 11, 2024. Additionally, 45-year-old Clarence Jamar Shivers and 30-year-old Quiante Desean Brown were charged with aiding and abetting first-degree murder. Shivers was apprehended by Henderson County deputies and transferred to Buncombe County, while Brown surrendered to authorities on January 12, 2024.
The arrests brought some measure of closure to the community, which had been shaken by the violent incident occurring on Christmas Eve. Authorities indicated that the shooting was a targeted act, suggesting that Porter was specifically singled out by the assailants. The investigation involved analyzing various leads, including eyewitness accounts, surveillance footage, and other pertinent information, to identify and apprehend the suspects involved in this tragic event.
