On February 22, 2023, 20-year-old Nicklous Pendleton of Gordonsville was shot while driving his pickup in the 800 block of Hardy Drive in Charlottesville, Virginia. Emergency crews responded to reports of shots fired at about 3:41 p.m.; Pendleton’s truck left the road and crashed on Page Street. He was transported to the UVA Medical Center but died of his wounds. A passenger in the truck, Pendleton’s brother, suffered a broken leg in the crash.

Charlottesville police identified a suspect and on March 9, 2023 arrested 19-year-old Rayma’qua Antonio Nicholas of Charlottesville, charging him with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. On April 1, 2024, Nicholas pleaded guilty to murder and to using a firearm; sentencing was set for June 13, 2024, with a potential exposure of up to 43 years in prison. Pendleton was remembered by family and friends as a kind, driven student at Piedmont Virginia Community College.

If anyone saw the pickup on Hardy Drive or has information about the shooting, please share what is known.