Nicholas Daniel Rios, 25, was shot during a road-rage encounter in Greenville County on Wednesday, December 3, 2025. Deputies responding to what at first looked like a single-vehicle crash found Rios with a gunshot wound; the incident was reclassified as a violent crime. He was taken to a local hospital and died of his injuries on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 2025, the coroner’s office later confirming cause and identity.

Rios, born in Miami, Florida, was remembered by family and community as spirited and generous; he was an organ donor. Authorities arrested Steve Strickland on attempted murder charges after the shooting and, following Rios’s death, upgraded the charge to murder. Strickland was held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond as the legal process continued. Rios is survived by his parents, siblings, and extended family, who held a memorial service in Pelzer.

If anyone witnessed the road-rage incident or has information that could help the investigation, please come forward.