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The suspect wanted in connection to the October 2016 murder of 19-year-old Deasia Washington was arrested on March 3rd during a traffic stop in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Officials say 24-year-old Antarious Byers was stopped due to a malfunctioning headlight, and then taken into custody when the U.S. Park Ranger reported smelling marijuana and then located a gun in his pants leg during a search.
During processing, the U.S. Marshal Service learned that Byers had outstanding warrants from the FBI for a federal RICO indictment, as well as warrants from the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office for charges of 2nd Degree Murder, Attempted 1st Degree Murder, Discharging a Weapon Into Occupied Property Inflicting Serious Bodily Injury, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Possession of a Stolen Firearm, and Obstruction of Justice.
Officials say Byers will be brought back to North Carolina to face charges, but have not given a timetable for when that will occur.
According to reports, Byers got into a fight outside a home on Foxhill Drive in Kingstown around 2am on October 9, 2016. When Byers went to shoot the man he was fighting with, officials say his bullet missed his target, went through the wall and hit 19-year-old Deasia Washington instead.
Investigators say more than 100 people were attending a party at the home that night, and they do not believe Washington and Byers knew each other.
In January, Antarious Byers, of Shelby, NC, was finally identified as a suspect in the case. Officials say he is a member of the United Blood Nation Nine Trey Gangsters and has been on the run from law enforcement since May 2017. At that time, he was targeted as a suspect in Operation Red Rain, which was a joint operation between the FBI, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, and several other agencies against the Nine-Trey Bloods street gang.
Original Story (Oct. 9, 2016)
KINGSTOWN, N.C. – The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that happened in Kingstown that left a female dead.
Officials responded to a shooting at 137 Fox Hill Drive at 2:00 a.m. Sunday in Kingstown, N.C.
The Sheriff’s Office says deputies located Deasia Washington lying in the kitchen floor with what appeared to be a gunshot wound.
Washington was transported to Carolinas Medical Center in Shelby where she was pronounced dead.
Officials say a party was taking place at the home during the shooting and investigators are asking anyone who was at the party to contact them at 704-484- 4822.
Anyone who has information on who the shooter may be can also call call Crime Stoppers at 704-481- TIPS
This is an ongoing investigation.
