WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. – An individual was shot early on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, after allegedly forcing entry into an Airbnb residence on Sunset Ridge Road. The male subject was identified as Icon Christen, who was also connected to a domestic dispute reported the previous evening.
At approximately 3 a.m. on Oct. 13, the Ashe County 911 Center received a call from a female who stated a male subject had kicked down the door to their Airbnb and that she had shot him as he entered the home. Responding to the scene were personnel from the Ashe County Sheriff’s Office, Ashe Medics, West Jefferson Police Department, and Jefferson Police Department. Icon Christen was transported to Ashe Memorial Hospital and subsequently flown to Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, where he was later released.
This incident followed an earlier call on Monday, Oct. 12, at approximately 7:45 p.m., when the Ashe County Dispatch Center received a call from an out-of-town female reporting a domestic dispute with her husband in West Jefferson. Ashe County Sheriff’s Office deputies, who were already assisting the West Jefferson Police Department with another shooting investigation that afternoon, located the female safely in the woods behind the home. She was then provided transportation out of the county with family. Icon Christen was later identified as the husband involved in this prior domestic dispute.
Sheriff Howell commented on the incident, stating his strong support for the Second Amendment and the right to protect oneself and family. He emphasized that no one should fear for their safety inside their own home and that forced entry creates a dangerous situation with potentially serious consequences. The Sheriff affirmed his commitment to supporting lawful self-defense and maintaining Ashe County as a safe place to live, work, and raise a family.
The Ashe County Sheriff’s Office obtained warrants for Christen’s arrest. He was taken into custody and transported to the Ashe County Detention Center on Oct. 21, 2026. Icon Christen, age 33, from Long Branch, N.J., was placed under a NO BOND status.
The day of the initial domestic dispute, Oct. 12, 2026, proved to be an exceptionally busy period for the Ashe County 911 Center. Dispatchers received 35 calls for service between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. alone, all while training two new dispatchers. The current call count for 2026 stood at 23,307 as of Oct. 14, 2026, marking an increase of 1,629 calls from the previous year’s total of 21,618. During this demanding period, law enforcement agencies including the Jefferson Police Department, West Jefferson Police Department, N.C. SBI, and N.C. Highway Patrol collaborated to assist one another.