On March 3, 2023, at about 3:03 p.m., deputies from the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office found 21-year-old Nikolas Jurel Cromer of Rockingham on a front porch on Sallie Goins Hill Road in Ellerbe after a report of a male yelling for help. Cromer was suffering from gunshot wounds, told deputies he had been shot, and was given first aid before being transported to a trauma center; he later died of his injuries.

Investigators identified 31-year-old Patrice Hoza Taylor, known as Meecy, of Aberdeen as the primary suspect and obtained murder warrants. Taylor was described as a Black male, 5 feet 6 inches, 165 pounds, with tattoos on both arms and the neck, and was considered armed and dangerous with known associations in Richmond and Cumberland counties. On April 19, 2023, U.S. Marshals arrested Taylor; additional charges included possession of a stolen firearm by a convicted felon and various illegal narcotics offenses, and he was processed into the Richmond County Jail without bond.

Nikolas Jurel Nik Cromer was born April 3, 2001. He is remembered by family as kind-hearted and loving and is survived by his mother Deana Cromer Person, sister Amaia Wall, grandparents Julia and Kennie Buchanon, and other relatives and friends. Does anyone have information about Cromer’s movements or contacts on March 3, 2023?