Nicholas Shane Johnson was 17 when he was shot and killed in Asheboro, North Carolina, on March 22, 2021. He grew up in Asheboro, attended Lindley Park Elementary and Asheboro High School, enjoyed drawing and art, loved basketball, and had been a member of an all-boys choir for much of his youth.

Johnson was found shot in the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Loach Street and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police say the shooting appears to have been a targeted act of retaliation related to a separate incident the night before, March 21, when a 22-year-old man was seriously injured and a 17-year-old was arrested. Nicholas was not suspected of involvement in that earlier shooting but had been present at the scene.

The Asheboro Police Department has not identified a suspect and the investigation remains ongoing. If anyone knew Nicholas or has information about what happened that night, please come forward to assist the inquiry.