Antonio Tremaine Carson Jr was shot and killed in Asheville on the early morning of December 7, 2025. Officers responding to a reported shooting on the 200 block of Amboy Road found the 19-year-old suffering from multiple gunshot wounds; he died at the scene, recorded as Asheville’s sixth homicide of the year.

A suspect, 22-year-old Hayden Ray Shores, was identified and arrested after reportedly calling emergency services about the shooting. Shores was charged with first-degree murder and discharging a firearm within city limits and was booked into the Buncombe County Detention Center held without bond pending proceedings.

Carson, who was weeks shy of his twentieth birthday, is described by family as protective and loyal, a natural leader who enjoyed video games and documentaries and centered his life on his two-year-old daughter, Kailani Grace Carson. He is survived by his parents and six younger siblings; a memorial service was held later that month.

Anyone who knew Antonio or who has information about the shooting on Amboy Road is asked to come forward.