Charles Robert Blackstock

Asheville Police Dept. — Asheville, NC

Felonious

End of Watch November 13, 1906

Age 30

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Badge 9

The Vigil Panel 21 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 8

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: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 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

Department Asheville Police Dept.

Location Asheville, NC

Platform Identity apd.buncombe.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 13, 1906

Tour of Duty 2 yrs

Age 30

Badge Number 9

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Rifle

Offender Shot and killed

Officer Charles Robert Blackstock is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 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 3.8 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Asheville Police Dept., 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.

Asheville Police Dept.

of 9 officers

55.6% Felonious

NC — Statewide

385

of 664 officers

58% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious