On June 20, 2023, at about 5:15 a.m., deputies from the Kings County Sheriff’s Office responded to a medical aid call on the 16500 block of Atwell Court in Santa Rosa Rancheria, Lemoore, California, and found 27-year-old Erik Sanchez Nichols with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital and died from his injuries. Detectives followed multiple leads and, after several weeks, identified and arrested a 17-year-old juvenile who has been charged with homicide, kidnapping, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon; the sheriff’s office has not released the teen’s name because the suspect is a minor.

He was born in Hanford and is survived by his parents, siblings, and two children; funeral services were held July 7, 2023, at St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church in Lemoore, with interment at Sunflower Fields Cemetery.

Have any readers in Lemoore or Hanford seen or heard anything that could help the ongoing investigation?