Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Charles Blackstock was shot and killed after responding to a call of a man with a rifle who had threatened to kill another man. As he and another officer approached the home the suspect was in on Valley Street (modern-day S Charlotte Street) near Eagle Street, the suspect opened fire with the rifle and struck Officer Blackstock in the chest and the other officer in the arm. The suspect left the home shooting at everyone he saw. He had killed three citizens when Officer Bailey located the suspect and attempted to take cover behind a utility pole. The suspect's shot went through the pole and struck Officer Bailey in the head. The man fled but the Governor of North Carolina mobilized the local National Guard company to assist in the search for the killer. The city organized a posse to pursue the suspect and was loaned rifles from Finkelstein's pawn shop downtown. The killer was tracked down and was shot and killed in a shootout with posse members two days later when they trapped him in a swamp outside Asheville. It was later discovered that the suspect was Will Harris, one of North Carolina's most notorious outlaws. He had escaped from two different chain gangs and had recently escaped from the state penitentiary in Raleigh where he was serving a sentence for killing a man because he refused to share his whiskey with him.
Survivors
Officer Blackstock was survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-3D0350BC- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Officer Blackstock gave the Asheville Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Asheville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Blackstock.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Charles Robert Blackstock is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.
In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 58 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Asheville Police Department, 5 of 9 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 55.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Robert Blackstock's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Robert Blackstock Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Robert Blackstock is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Charles Robert Blackstock was killed by rifle.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
8 officers from Asheville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
