Teenager acquitted in fatal shooting in Western North Carolina

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A teenager has been acquitted in the 2018 shooting death of a man in a public housing complex in western North Carolina.

The Asheville Citizen Times on Saturday reported a jury in Buncombe County found the defendant not guilty after deliberating for five hours.

The newspaper did not name the teenager because of his age. Prosecutors had accused him of shooting 21-year-old Devon Jervay Harvin and another man on April 2018 in Ashville over a gang-related dispute. Harvin died at a hospital of injuries to the neck, leg and back.

The defendant argued he acted in self-defense. A news release from the Buncombe County District Attorney’s office says a witness testifying for the state said Harvin was armed but put his weapon down before the confrontation with the teenager.

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Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times, http://www.citizen-times.com

The newspaper did not name the teenager because of his age. Prosecutors had accused him of shooting 21-year-old Devon Jervay Harvin and another man on April 2018 in Ashville over a gang-related dispute. Harvin died at a hospital of injuries to the neck, leg and back.