Firefighter Arrested In Bicyclist Shooting

Firefighter shoots at Bicylist in Asheville (Added: July 27, 2009)

Firefighter shoots at Bicylist in Asheville (more)

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Firefighter Arrested In Bicyclist Shooting

Charles Alexander Diez , 42, is charged with attempted first degree murder.

By Noelle Kachinsky
Published: July 27, 2009

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An Asheville firefighter has been arrested and charged with shooting at a man on a bicycle.

Investigators said the gunfire erupted on Tunnel Road in Asheville when a man was riding his bike with his wife and 3-year-old son.

They say a man approached the father, upset that he was riding with his child in a bicycle seat in a high traffic area.

Authorities said Charles Alexander Diez, 42, got into an argument with the other man and that Diez pulled out a handgun and shot the victim.

They said the bullet struck the man's helmet, passing through the lining, but stopping short of hitting him in the head. Authorities have charged Diez with attempted first degree murder.

Interim Fire Chief Scott Burnette with the Asheville fire department says that Diez was an engineer with the department. He was hired in 1992. The last change in his employment was when he was promoted from a firefighter to engineer in September 1999.

He is on paid investigative leave from the department.

He is being held in the Buncombe County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

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