On a stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway better known for scenic overlooks than crime scenes, a federal judge has sentenced a 23-year-old Asheville man to 20 years in prison and five years of supervised release after prosecutors say he shot a 19-year-old who had asked for a ride. The teen was hit multiple times in the torso, hand and pelvis and was treated for permanent, life-threatening injuries. Prosecutors say the violence unfolded after the victim was ordered out of a car at a roadside pullout and then gunned down.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, James Tyler Lynch met the victim at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Asheville on May 29, 2024, and rode with the teen and another driver while carrying a concealed, loaded Kahr Arms Model P380 .380-caliber pistol. Near milepost 399 on the Parkway, Lynch told the driver to pull onto a dirt pullout, ordered the teen out of the car and then fired at least six shots, prosecutors said.
In a statement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office quoted U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson calling the Blue Ridge Parkway "a treasured place where families should feel safe" and saying the sentence shows that "violence will not be tolerated." The release credited the National Park Service’s Investigative Services Branch with leading the probe that brought the case into federal court.
As reported by the Charlotte Observer, rangers responding to reports of a gunshot victim found the teen lying in the roadway. Court records show the victim was rushed to a hospital with injuries prosecutors described as permanent and life-threatening. Court documents and news reports say Lynch and the driver fled the scene after the shooting.
Charges, sentence and custody
Lynch was sentenced on federal charges of assault with intent to commit murder and of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, counts that together carried the 20-year prison term and five years of supervised release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex M. Scott, and Lynch will remain in federal custody until he is designated to a Bureau of Prisons facility, FOX Carolina reported.
Parkway safety and past incidents
The shooting is the latest high-profile violent incident tied to the Blue Ridge Parkway, a heavily visited route that has seen other serious criminal cases handled in federal court. As previously covered by Hoodline, an earlier Parkway prosecution similarly raised public-safety questions along the scenic roadway.
Authorities have not said whether the driver who fled with Lynch has been charged, and court filings do not publicly identify that person, according to the Charlotte Observer. Lynch remains in custody awaiting his Bureau of Prisons placement, FOX Carolina reported.
