Asheville -- November 5, 2026: One of three suspects charged in connection with the shooting deaths of two men at Pine Needle Apartments has been extradited from Georgia to North Carolina.
Keith Harold Eugene Mooney Jr., 18, was returned from DeKalb County, Georgia, on Nov. 4, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office.
His first court appearance is scheduled for today, Nov. 5, at the Buncombe County Courthouse.
Mooney faces charges of first-degree murder and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon stemming from the Oct. 24 shootings.
Deputies responded to the apartment complex around 12:20 a.m. following a report of a gunshot wound. They found Joshua Sanchez Ramirez, 19, and Darion Armon Smith, 27, dead from gunshot wounds in the parking lot.
Two other men, Tyquan Jahlil Ward, 28, and Maurice Montrell Harris Jr., 22, also face first-degree murder and attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon charges in the case.
Ward was arrested Oct. 29. Mooney was taken into custody in the Atlanta area Oct. 30, and Harris was arrested Nov. 2.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. All three defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Source: Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office media updates.