There was an incident Sunday involving the discharge of a firearm outside, but near, the Sally Port of the Buncombe County Detention Facility (BCDF). The jail was put on lockdown, according to the Sheriff's Department, as part of standard procedure. The Sally Port is an outside contained area where detainees are moved from transport to intake. At no point, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, was a weapon inside the Buncombe County Detention Facility.
The incident occurred during the transfer of a woman into custody from an Asheville Police Department (APD) vehicle, according to the APD. No injuries were initially reported as a result of the discharge.
Angel Blanding was able to access a weapon, despite the fact it was locked in a firearm rack in the front of the vehicle, and fired one round, damaging two APD vehicles, according to police.
In addition to charges by APD, BCSO charged Blanding with:
-Discharge of a Firearm into an Enclosure
-Damage to Property
-Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer/Public Official with a Firearm
-Assault on a Detention Employee with a Firearm
-Resisting a Public Officer
Per press release the original date information released by the Buncombe County Sheriff's office was incorrect. The incident happened Sunday. We made the correction in the article